Love at 1st Bite
by AgoodWITCH
Summary: Edward is instantly drawn to the new girl, Bella Swan.After a week in Denali he returns to Forks and visits the object of his obsession.What happens in her room that night will change both of their lives forever.Entry for 'In the Dark' contest.
1. Love at 1st Bite

"**In The Dark" Contest**

**Pen Name: AgoodWITCH**

**Title: Love at First Bite**

**Summary: Edward is instantly drawn to the new girl, Bella Swan. From their first meeting he is overtaken by a desire for her body as well as her blood. After a week in Denali he returns to Forks and visits the object of his obsession. What happens in her room that night will change both of their lives forever. Rated M for language, lemons and dark themes.**

**Word Count: 6806**

**For Rules and Other Submissions, please visit**: http://www(DOT)fanfiction(D0T)net/u/2003775/

**This story was an image in my head for a while, but I didn't know what to do with it until I heard about this contest, now I know exactly what it means and what will come. This will eventually be a multi-chapter story, but until the close of the contest, it will remain a one-shot. Thanks for all of the love and please review, it makes me smile! And don't forget to come back and vote starting November 2nd!  
**

**An ocean of thanks to AbbiiCakes, my awesome first round beta, for her love, supportive ideas and novel-sized PM's! Also, Tatiana Ekaterina for listening to my confused ramblings when I was stuck, unraveling my thoughts and generally knowing how my mind works. Finally to Patti996, for polishing this story and making it shine, love ya sis!**

**I don't own Twilight, but I am responsible for the actions of my Edward and the sleeping habits of my Bella.**

**EPOV**

My family was probably half way to Denali by now, and that's exactly where I wanted them. I wasn't in Denali. I was twenty minutes outside of Forks.

Perfect.

That meant that I had a few hours before anyone would be able to get to me, even if they turned around now.

Alice had been attributing the visions she saw to my old feelings, choosing to believe that because I hadn't actively changed my mind yet, the visions weren't changing either. Jasper's recent troubles with his resolve were occupying her thoughts as well, so hopefully my actions would go unnoticed for a little while.

I knew this was a foolish, irrational line of thought but I clung to it, because it led me closer to Bella Swan. The desire I felt for her was unbelievably strong; the moment that delectable scent hit me everything that Carlisle had built for us was destroyed by the flames of my insatiable hunger.

I wanted her. I needed her. She was made for _me_.

Her blood was unbearably sweet-smelling – so young, perfect, innocent: the mere memory of the hovering fragrance was sending my inner monster's thirst wild with desire. Venom burned in my mouth, the ache raged in my throat. I would have killed the entire town to taste that sweet nectar.

But something else had happening to me – it was so unfamiliar, so strong, and so final. The man in me desired her body nearly as much as the awoken beast, as I remembered her slinking towards me; her fate edging closer with every step. I had watched how her hair flowed down her back to her perfect ass, the slight bounce of her chest as she walked towards me, her tiny frame and her full lips, which she bit out of fear at my reaction to her. A surge of desire tugged through me as she sat, and I silently wished that her teeth would break the skin of those perfect pink lips of hers so that I could satisfy both the monster and the man in me, as I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth.

I don't know what stopped me. But something did. Maybe it was that I couldn't hear her thoughts: the girl was stubbornly silent.

The hour dragged by painfully, but somehow I squashed that need: fighting the searing thirst as it blazed through my body.

I flew out of school and went straight to Carlisle, and then to Denali, but for a week all I saw and thought about was her. I needed to possess her. She awakened things in me I had never felt and I desperately wanted to start. I envisioned her perfect curves in my mind, unobstructed by clothes as I licked and sucked and kissed and bit—

I had to end that fantasy; otherwise I would have another problem on my hands. I was so ready to see her. I stood outside her window; listening to the eerie silence of the night. In seconds, I was in the tree in Chief Swan's yard looking through the window at Bella in bed. The venom flowed in my mouth as her scent blurred my vision; even through the wall.

As if she knew she was being watched, Bella shifted uncomfortably in her bed and I almost fell out of the tree.

Bella. Slept. Naked.

I watched her through the window overtaken by the horny teenager inside me as I was fully aware of the fact that I was no longer alone. I reached down, trying to readjust myself and my member twitched, not wanting my cold touch, but craving the warmth of the girl who had awakened him.

I leaned forward choosing to take my crime spree from merely being a peeping tom, to full blown breaking and entering. The window was closed but unlocked, so I slid it out of the way and climbed in, resting in the rocking chair on the opposite side of the room. Even though it wasn't open for more than a few seconds, the breeze that had followed me in caused Bella to shiver out of her covers a little more and reveal her fully hardened nipples.

There was silence in the room as my throat scorched at the scent that bombarded me from every angle. Charlie's snores were distant, his thoughts were blurry. A small, more reasonable part of me wondered if he was where she got the talent for blocking her thoughts from me; the only thing that came close to how badly I wanted her blood was how badly I needed to hear her thoughts. For ninety years I had heard the thoughts of everyone around me, but the silence from Bella was yet another draw to her. An irresistible pull that put her life in danger.

A soft moan escaped her lips and I flew out of the chair and was at the foot of her bed before she finished the breath. Every ounce of my resolve was gone and whatever shame or worry that was holding me back was gone: the monster would be satisfied tonight, and so would the man. Bella would be mine.

I pulled the sheets off of Bella, fully exposing her to me and she was beautiful. The reality was much better than the dream: it paled to her soft, warm, alabaster skin.

I slowly hovered over her on the bed, careful not to jostle the mattress, or put any weight on her. My hand traced the curves of her chest without actually touching her until her back arched off the bed and my cold palm came in contact with her soft breast. The heat I had felt radiating off of her was nothing compared to the warmth of touching her. A sudden sizzle ran through me as my hand very gently massaged her breast, earning a delicious moan from Bella's unconscious lips.

My hands continued to caress down her body and she responded to every touch. Her scent intensified and I realized the change was her arousal. God, she was glorious, everything about her pulled me closer.

A slow groan rippled through me before I could stop. If I had a beating heart; it would have stopped.

Bella's eyes fluttered open and a sudden fear enveloped me as I pressed my mouth to hers to silence the scream that I knew was coming. My cold lips mashed against the warmth of hers. Her tiny hands were suddenly in my hair, tugging gently. I assumed she was trying to hurt me, but her strength was nothing compared to mine. Just the hint of my dominance over her awoke a feral growl in me.

Struggling to be gentle as I pressed up against her at every point, I broke from her lips as I felt her breath get shallower. I heard her heartbeat intensify as I let my lips graze from her mouth to her throat. The burn intensified with the proximity to my prize but, fuck me, if I was doing this, I was doing it in style. My lips kissed her pulsing artery and as my teeth cut through her flesh Bella spoke for the first time tonight, "Edward."

Her soft breathy sound was everything. I was overcome by the monster as I sucked the sweetest blood I had ever tasted into my mouth and, for the first time in ninety years, the monster purred in contentment. This was where I was meant to be. Here. With this temptress: her blood flowing into me.

Suddenly, I froze.

She hadn't screamed. When she spoke my name there was no fear in her voice, there was longing, and what sounded like pleasure. As my mind focused on that possibility; my sense of control returned to me. I gasped as I pulled back, licking the wound my teeth had made, sealing it with my venom. The man in me quickly took over as Bella arched off of the bed in agony. My heart, which has been silent since 1918, wrenched at what I had almost done to her, and now that I had stopped, it broke for the life I had condemned her to.

I couldn't leave her here. I quickly ran to her closet and took a duffle bag, throwing in anything and everything I could: clothes, toiletries, any possessions that looked like something Bella might want to keep.

There wasn't much considering she had only been here a week, so I was quickly done and turned my focus to Bella. Grabbing a pair of sweats and a shirt I dressed her and opened the window. I grabbed a piece of paper and copying her scrawling handwriting, I wrote a note to Charlie telling him that she was going back to Phoenix because it was too hard for her to adjust.

Bella could never come back home. A dry sob escaped me as I realized I had stolen that from her, along with her future and her life. I had stolen everything from her. The black hole I was being swallowed in was shattered by Bella's moans of pain. I put the note on the fridge and then threw her duffle and backpack on my shoulders before lifting Bella in my arms and jumping out the window.

Alice would have seen me doing this, so my family had to be on their way back by now.

I was home in minutes and I went straight to my room. I placed Bella on my couch and put her things on the floor. I crumpled to the floor at the foot of the couch. I wanted to cradle her to my chest and whisper soothing promises. Apologies. Anything.

A choke escaped my lips, "Forgive me Bella."

I sat and pulled her distressed form into my arms. Realizing that my phone was off , I switched it on and was immediately answering Carlisle's call.

"Edward, we'll be home in two hours. Jasper will take care of Bella's car before Charlie wakes up, so the plan you set up will work. Alice wants to talk to you, but I have to warn you, Rosalie is on the warpath."

I took in an unnecessary breath as Bella's body continued to writhe in my arms and strangled noises escaped her beautiful lips. "Put Alice on."

In a second Alice was reassuring me. "I can't tell you what her reaction will be, but I know what you're feeling--"

I cut her off, the venom in my voice instead of my mouth for the first time tonight. "Alice you have no idea what I'm feeling right now. I'm the most despicable, evil--"

"I'm not talking about your self-hatred; I mean your feelings for Bella. I know you love her Edward, focus on that, and we'll be home soon."

The line disconnected and I was astonished. Was this love? This desire to take care of her and take away her pain, the longing I felt to see her eyes and hear her voice as I had earlier tonight. Could that be love? And if so, how was I worthy of this creature? The pain I wanted to ease was of my own making, and the love in her voice was a result of my forcing myself on her. I was the worst kind of monster, preying on her in every way imaginable and taking her life from her.

I had once hunted men like the being I now resembled. I disgusted myself. Even if Bella survives this, which I'm almost positive she will, how can I justify what I've done, even if it was out of some sort of distorted love for her.

Would it have been kinder to have killed her, if I love her like I do, than to force her into a life that none of us would have chosen for ourselves?

My phone vibrated again and this time it was a text.

Don't you dare do what you're thinking about, or Rose will be the least of your problems. If you kill my sister I'll never forgive you!

Alice just called Bella her sister? Did that mean Bella would choose to stay? My heart quickly expanded at that thought but contracted at the shrill cry from Bella. I was quickly plunged back into the present. Whatever was coming, Bella needed me. If I could ever deem to be worthy of her, I had better start now.

"Bella, love, I'm so sorry." She had been burning for nearly an hour now, and all that had come from her were these stilted screams and labored breaths, I needed Carlisle there to tell me she would be okay, I needed her to be okay.

"Edward?" Bella spoke for the first time and it was soft, almost as if she were dreaming, but the second time it was something from my nightmares. "EDWARD!"

Her screech was bloodcurdling, and it rocked through me as her flailing got more exaggerated and her eyes fluttered open and I focused on her beautiful eyes, knowing the warm chocolate color would be lost forever soon enough.

"Bella, I'm here. I'm so sorry, it'll go away eventually, I promise you. Just hold on." I pleaded, at least now she was being comforted by me. I doubted she would feel that way when she understood what I had done, but I had to push those thoughts away.

There was only her.

"Ed…Edward…tttallk to me. Keep…talking…" Bella's murmuring faded as she whimpered. The sobs I had been fighting broke out; I didn't know what to say. She wanted to hear my voice, but I had no words. I cried as I held her, and her voice broke through to me again. "Don't cry."

She was trying to comfort me. She was burning alive, and somehow, unbelievably holding in the worst of it, and through it all she was trying to keep me from feeling bad, but all it did was make me feel worse.

I hummed Debussy and Swan Lake and La Boheme to her, unable to talk except for the brief words of apology I offered her. I heard the sound of my family approaching and I let out a deep breath.

Within minutes Carlisle opened my bedroom door.

"Edward, let me see her." I motioned to him as I continued humming to Bella. His hands worked quickly over her and then he sighed. "Did she sustain any injuries before the bite?"

"No. Why, is there something wrong with her?" My mind raced through everything that had happened tonight, trying to remember if there was something I missed.

"Son, it's her silence that had me concerned, and her stillness, but that could simply be how she deals with the burning, the transformation is progressing normally. I only wish I knew how she was staying so calm through it all."

"It's because of me." I said in a broken whisper. "Earlier I was sobbing and she told me not to cry, she's quite literally in hell right now and she's more concerned about me. That's why I've been humming, my voice seems to calm her."

"You're letting her know she's not alone." Alice walked in as she spoke and went to kneel beside me. "You should deal with Rosalie now, that way you can return to Bella. I'll sit with her while you're gone."

I nodded and lifted Bella off of my lap as Alice took her into her arms. "I'll be right back Bella; Alice will take good care of you."

I looked up at my sister with pained eyes. "Talk to her, it helps."

With that I walked down the stairs and saw the back door open. I walked past my mother, unable to look her in the eye as I made my way to the river where Rosalie and Emmett were waiting for me. As I approached, Rosalie's head shot up. Her eyes narrowed as she leapt at me; a whirlwind of blonde hair and perfection, knocking me to the ground and hitting my chest repeatedly.

"How could you be so stupid?! I thought the whole point of going away was to keep her safe, and then you come home and do this! You and Royce are the same, both heartless bastards that took what you wanted and let everyone else be damned!"

Emmett's arms wrapped around Rosalie's waist as he pulled her off of me. "Enough."

I didn't move, her words held me to the ground. The sting hung in the air. Rosalie was right, I was exactly like her human fiancé, I used Bella for what I wanted and left her with a future no one could want. These familiar thoughts flowed through my mind, locking me in my own personal agony until I heard Alice call to me.

Bella needed me.

I ran to my room and it was empty, I quickly spun around and heard Alice fluttering around in her room. I opened the door and Bella was under the blankets with Alice sitting next to her. "She got worse the moment you left, so I thought it might be better to have her on a bed. Jasper's taking care of her car, and when he gets back we'll stay downstairs, the most important thing now is that Bella is taken care of."

Bella was thrashing around and moaning in pain; though the screams had not returned. I walked into the room and climbed onto the bed, pulling Bella close to my chest. I felt her still slightly, as I whispered into her ear. "I should have stayed away, I knew it wasn't safe for you but I was so damn selfish that I didn't care. Bella I need you to forgive me some day. I don't expect you to do it anytime soon, but believe me, if I could take this back I would. I would go back to Denali and wait until you moved away to return."

Bella began to cry out wordlessly, just a series of long pained noises that cut me deep: each one gashing silent tears through my heart. "I should let Rosalie rip me to pieces for this."

As I finished that sentence, Bella let out another scream; this one louder and more pronounced. I noticed that the more down on myself I got, or mentioned regretting this, the louder Bella would get, as if she was trying to stop me from thinking that way. Wishful thinking, I know. It didn't help me now so I let it go.

The hours dragged on and before I knew it the sun was rising over the trees. It had been seven hours since her transformation had started, and soon the chief would notice her missing. Jasper came home around 8:30, having driven Bella's car to a stretch of deserted highway and pulling over, making it look like she was abducted from her car. I hated that Charlie couldn't have closure, but there wasn't time to find a body double to take Bella's place, so we had to leave him with questions that would never be answered, because Charlie could never know what happened to his daughter.

Just then I heard the thoughts from downstairs.

I'm so worried about Edward, he's beating himself up over this and I hate to see him in so much pain.

Esme, my mother for all intents and purposes didn't like that I was upset over doing this to Bella. I knew I was her favorite, simply because I had been there with her from the beginning, and she had seen me alone all of this time. She seemed excited that this pull I felt towards Bella meant that I had the potential for love after all, but I didn't want to think about that, not while Bella was burning.

Emmett had taken Rosalie out for an extended hunt to keep her away from me until she began to cool down, which meant they could be gone for a few months if that was seriously what he was waiting for because Rosalie would not calm down anytime soon.

Alice and Jasper were getting ready for school, the story there would be that Emmett, Rosalie and I were sick, and that we would be out for most of the week. I had already been gone, so no one would be surprised that the others were starting to catch whatever Carlisle had told the school I had come down with. And then Carlisle was up in his study, pouring over books and trying to find a way to ease any of this for Bella, mainly so that I would relax. But we both knew there was nothing to find, she had 62 hours left in this torture and I would stay with her through it all.

**BPOV**

All memory was gone. Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell had all been erased, replaced by fear and pain. I only have brief flashes of the last hour…a dream that seemingly came to life. Edward Cullen, the god who sat next to me in biology before missing school this week out sick with some bug, was in my bedroom, ravaging me. His presence was all around me, growing stronger by the moment until I moved and felt a touch that seemed too real, but I wouldn't dare open my eyes and ruin the fantasy. Loving the feel of his hand as he caressed my breast before traveling along my ribs to my stomach, I was startled by a groan that was too close and far too real to be a dream. My eyes opened and I felt his lips on mine. Somehow, Edward Cullen was really in my room, kissing me with a passion I had never known. I pulled him towards me as he pressed his clothed body against my bare skin and I couldn't get close enough to him. His lips broke from mine but only on their way to my neck as he moved to my throat and kissed it. The bliss of the moment was soon overtaken by a crippling pain as I was plunged into darkness. My last action before the darkness took me was to call out to him, though it came out as little more than a whisper.

With that I was lost and the pain of it all was indescribable. I was being burned alive, crushed by an enormous weight, and choked all at the same time. It felt like someone was peeling the muscle from my bones, the pain went so deep and I was unable to tell him how bad it hurt.

In the commotion I heard Edward's voice, "Forgive me Bella."

What was he apologizing for, this couldn't be his fault? Was this his illness I had caught? Is that why he seemed to feel responsible, did he blame his weakness and desire to see me for a pain he knew all too well. The idea of him feeling the loss of me as deeply as I felt it for him was a small comfort as I fought against my body. Vague apologies and pleads for forgiveness filled the time, although I could not tell you how long it lasted, time was lost to me in this state. I wanted to ease his pain, and after several attempts my voice returned to me as I spoke his name again.

No sooner than it left my lips did I feel an intense swell of regret as my body reacted to the next burst of pain by screaming his name at the top of my lungs, causing him to hold me closer. My body thrashed and my eyes opened, allowing me to see the agony etched on his face as he tried to calm me. "Bella, I'm here. I'm so sorry, it'll go away eventually, I promise you. Just hold on."

I focused on his velvet voice, rough with worry as the words sank in. He knew what this was. He promised that it would end. I held on to that as I tried to focus on his voice instead of the pain.

His sobs broke my heart, I didn't want him crying for me…if I was going to be fine then there was no point in him being upset, and I had to believe that I would be fine, because he had told me so. I had never felt so closely drawn to someone before, but from the first moment I saw him, even through the murderous glare I wanted him. "Don't cry," I managed and after a little while the sound of his crying was replaced by beautiful music, hummed with all the subtlety of a finely tuned instrument, and although I didn't recognize all of it _Clair de Lune_ brought back memories of my mother, which took away some of the ache for a while.

The next change brought my attention back from the sound of Edward's music, it was a new voice. I was instantly afraid, the voice was not one that I recognized, and I was terrified of being separated from him. I felt another set of hands fly across my skin, all the while Edward's electric touch kept me close. I had thought that the current between us was a symptom of this illness, but with this new touch I was now convinced that it was the indescribable pull between Edward and I that caused the hum that went through my body.

God, I sound like I'm obsessed with him, but I couldn't describe the connection, only that I never wanted it to be broken.

Next there was a female. Edward seemed to trust her, but the moment his touch was gone I began to panic. I felt myself lifted from wherever Edward had held me as I traveled upstairs…she was taking me away from him, away from where he would look for me. I thrashed against her, hoping to break free, but the icy touch held me in an iron grip as I was placed on a bed. Suddenly she was gone and the current pulsed through my body again as his arms held me tight. His voice was soft as he spoke in desperate tones.

"I should have stayed away, I knew it wasn't safe for you but I was so damn selfish that I didn't care. Bella I need you to forgive me some day. I don't expect you to do it anytime soon, but believe me, if I could take this back I would. I would go back to Denali and wait until you moved away to return." NO! He couldn't regret this, he couldn't regret me. He was begging for forgiveness he already had, as long as he stayed with me, I'd be his. Then the next sentence came. "I should let Rosalie rip me to pieces for this."

The depth of his pain and fear and regret broke my heart as I tried to call to him, beg him to stay with me, but no words came out, just screams…I had lost my words…and with it, my ability to communicate with him.

After that, time lost all markers. I heard people come and check on us, but the words were often muffled, like trying to hear people while underwater. The next instance of knowledge came from the shift in the burn. For however long it had been, the burning had not changed, it was constant and unbearable, but I didn't dare to think about it because the moment I did the screams would escape and Edward would hurt along with me. Now, the burning was easier to deal with, not because it was less intense…maybe I had developed a superhuman threshold of pain while trapped by this illness. If men trapped under cars could find the strength to lift them enough to get out from under them I could surely handle a ridiculous fever after God only knows how long.

My mind also seemed to come back to me. Some things I remembered more clearly, yet others faded. The music that Edward hummed still held meaning, but I couldn't place it, and I wondered about where I was, but couldn't remember why it didn't seem familiar.

The humming was interrupted by the man's voice who had spent quite a bit of time with us, Edward seemed to trust him, so I did as well. Voices were also clearer, so I was finally able to see if I could make some sense out of this whole thing.

"Edward, we have to talk. It's been two days and she'll be waking soon. We have to make some decisions as a family."

"Then bring them up, I won't leave her alone." I sighed at his words, after what I now knew was almost two days of the equivalent of being a kid in a Charlie Brown cartoon, Edward's words made sense again and more importantly, he still wanted me.

I heard the tiniest shuffling, my only signal that we had been joined by the rest of their family. "Edward," the voice that I assumed was his father spoke, "when she wakes up, you have to convince her to stay, even if it is only until she can be taught to control herself."

"She's not going anywhere." The bell-like voice who watched me the only time Edward had left my side chimed in with a certainty that I appreciated, she seemed to know my choice without knowing me. And her statement calmed Edward.

"She won't hate me?" Edward's voice broke near the end and I moaned slightly, now able to control my voice too, at least momentarily.

"I told you, I don't know what her exact reaction will be, but I can see her with us in Ireland."

"Ireland?" Another female voice questioned. "So we will be forced to leave Forks." There was no question in her voice, but anger dripped from every word.

"Rosalie the treaty has been broken; we'll have to leave as soon as she is mobile. A few of us will stay behind to get things in order, but we'll use Edward's supposed illness as our out." The voice of reason tried to soothe the angry woman, but I was left confused. What treaty were they talking about…and what did they mean by Edward's supposed illness, how could it be fake if I had caught it?

"What about Charlie?" Yet another female voice spoke, there seemed to be a sadness as she mentioned Charlie and brief muddy images of my father filled my mind, as did my mother…now I remembered the link to the music…but I could feel it fading, slipping through my mental grasp and I was powerless to stop it.

"It will be too tempting to keep her near Charlie. I think we should plan a brief trip to Denali so Eleazar can see her, maybe he can get a read on her so we can know what to expect, if Alice's visions are true, she will be a force to be reckoned with."

Their leader was making plans to keep me safe, and to help them understand me…what was happening to me, and why did that seem to be the only thing that didn't concern them? Denali seemed to hold the answers; Edward had gone there when everyone else was lead to believe he was ill.

"She can hear us." A male voice with the slightest hint of a southern accent broke the silence.

"What?" Edward, as well as the leader and the two nice females all said in unison.

"I can sense her confusion, there's understanding of what's being said, but not what it means. And your right Alice, her feelings do gravitate towards Edward, any change in him causes a change in her." I was truly grateful for this man at the moment because he was telling Edward what I wished I could, he was giving him a tiny bit of comfort. "Edward, you have to be strong for Bella, the love between you two will get you both through today."

"Will you help her Jasper?" Edward's voice pleaded with him.

"As much as I have been, over the last day she's gotten a little bit of comfort from me, but the things that have truly made a difference have been from you." I felt like hugging Jasper, because he understood me so completely and he used that understanding to help Edward, which was more important than helping me. I would survive this, Alice had seen it, but I needed him there when I did.

"Tell her what's happening to her." Yet another voice sounded, how big was this family? My mind quickly flashed to the image of five perfect beings in the cafeteria and the information that their parents had adopted them, so I had now heard from them all. I tried to catalogue the voices as the newest entrant into the conversation continued. "She won't understand it completely, but it'll help when you try later. If she loves you then it won't matter."

"Emmett not everyone is as easygoing as you are." Edward said in a clipped tone.

"But Alice said she wasn't leaving…that she would come to Ireland with us--"

Edward shifted me in his arms and his voice got louder as he cut Emmett off. "Alice also said she didn't know how she was going to take this. If we go to Ireland in a week or so then all that means is she's agreed to stay until she can handle her impulses, not that she'll stay forever. I took her life from her, how could she possibly forgive that!"

His words caused me to cringe internally, even with my new ability to compartmentalize my thoughts I couldn't wrap my head around his words. He was talking about me being with him but now he talked about having killed me? How could I be with him if I was dead?

"Edward!" The pain in Jasper's voice was clear and it stopped all action in the room, even the rise and fall of Edward's chest ceased. "Don't say another word. I can feel her resolve slip, and if you keep talking like this whatever it is that has allowed her to handle everything up until now will be gone. Soon enough she'll reach the turning point in the transformation, let her keep her peace a little while longer, who knows when she'll get it back."

"I'm sorry love. You don't know how bad I wish I could take this pain away." He paused for a moment. "Can I have some time alone with her?"

The shuffling was short lived as I felt Edward's breath fan across my ear. "Bella, I'm a--"

Before he could finish his sentence my chest rose on its own as the fire in my heart blazed even more furiously then it had since the burning began.

**EPOV**

Jasper's words cut deep, I was making this harder on her, and I didn't have to be. I was going to make this better and I would start by being honest with her. "Can I have some time alone with her?" Carlisle nodded and everyone filed out of the room. "Bella, I'm a--"

I was about to tell her about her fate as a vampire when she jerked out of my hands, rising up before the thrashing began again. "CARLISLE!"

Within a second he was there as I tried to steady her. "It's time, she's coming to the end of her transformation." I looked up to see my entire family lining the wall of Alice's bedroom as Carlisle felt her skin. "She's cooling." Lifting her eyelid I saw the blood red iris, the warm chocolate her eyes had once been was lost forever. I shook with the disgust of what I had done to her when Carlisle spoke again. "Edward, if you can't control your emotions then I'm going to ask you to leave. Bella needs stability."

I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I wouldn't desert her now. "I'm fine."

Bella continued to flail in my arms as moans and screams escaped her red lips. Her heart beat rapidly and her eyes fluttered without staying open. "Bella, I'm here. I know it hurts but it'll all be over soon."

"Ed…Edward?" Her voice was pained as she questioned me.

"Yes love?" I brushed the hair out of her face and stroked her cheek. Our skin matched, and her features had completed their shift. It had been too subtle while it was happening but her body was curvier and her heart-shaped face was slightly narrower. Her beauty had been enhanced by my actions, but it was the things that hadn't changed that entranced me. Her upper lip was too full for the bottom, and her hair, although it had more luster to its texture was still the warm chocolate it had always been.

"It hurts…"

Fuck…I wished that she was nearly done, I couldn't stand the pain in her voice. I could hear the restraint in her voice as the whimper fell from her lips, it probably took every bit of strength to not scream those two words. "I know, but you're doing so well, just hold on a little while longer."

Her heart sped even faster and from the look on Carlisle's face she was nearing her final heartbeat.

I heard the gasp from Alice, only now aware that I had blocked the thoughts around me as I focused on Bella. I didn't know what had caused her to react that way, and before I could ask her to think about the vision I heard Bella's heart halt. Letting out three broken beats, it finally stilled as did Bella's body.

Bella was a vampire.

As the thought went through my mind her eyes blinked twice and then opened, focusing on me.


	2. She's a Survivor

**The moment you've all waited patiently for! Bella's awakening awaits. Thank you to everyone who voted (results are still unknown, but as voting has ended I'm free to post again!) and all of my lovely reviewers. A shout out to Bronze and Leon for hosting "In The Dark" and AbbiiCakes for letting me know it was out there. There's plenty in store for everyone in the next few chapters, and the twists start pretty soon out of the gate.**

**SM owns Twilight, however any original characters or plotlines belong to AgoodWITCH.**

Chapter 2 – She's a Survivor

**BPOV**

The fever had broken, taking the pain with it. I could feel arms around me as I opened my eyes to find a god of a man's face staring down at me. He smiled at me and my heart…I couldn't feel my heartbeat. Panicking, my eyes searched and found a group of terrifying beautiful people against the wall and without even thinking about it, I jumped backwards over the man's shoulder and ran for the closest door, closing it behind me. In the darkness I could pick up a sweet scent as my hands found purchase on the fabric hanging all around me.

Fuck! I picked the wrong door and was now trapped in the closet.

Embarrassment sharing equal space with fear in my head, I backed myself into the corner of the huge closet and sat down with my arms wrapped around my knees.

Hearing the argument going on in the room outside my self-induced pen, finally a velvet voice that rang of familiarity silenced the rest. "I'm going in there alone, all of you stay back." The authority in his voice was unmistakable as I heard the floor shift under his feet. "Bella…I'm going to open the door, don't be frightened."

The door creaked open and a sliver of light came in before it closed with a click and I saw his shoes from under the barrier of garment bags. "Bella?" He whispered, almost as if he wondered if I was still in here.

Crouching down, his eyes locked with mine and he smiled the most heartbreakingly beautiful smile there ever was. As he slowly slinked towards me on his hands and knees, I was mesmerized by how feline his movements were. Stopping a few feet from me he leaned back and sat before me with his hands up in surrender. "It's okay, you're safe. Do you remember me?"

I knew I should remember, but I couldn't place him. I knew he had stayed with me while I was suffering from whatever that was, and that I knew who he was while it was happening, which made the loss of his identity all the more annoying! "I know I should…I remember that I know you, but not how."

"Remember biology?"

With those two words a flood of images came back, the murderous look on his face, the blackness in his eyes, the desire I felt to follow as he sped from the room. Then the memories that followed. Wondering where he was, and if he was okay? A kiss...and the cold touch that I had yearned for. Then the pain, and the anguish and self-hatred in his voice as his heart broke for me, wishing he could make it go away. Then, finally, a name. "Edward?"

His face relaxed from the mask of concern he had worn when I was trying to figure the puzzle out. His arms reached out in welcome as I crawled to him. "Come here my sweet girl."

Edward's arms wrapped around me and pulled me to his chest as I held him close. We sat there in silence for a moment before he moved towards the door and I stopped him. "Don't leave me."

There was an odd mixture of joy and sorrow on his face as he turned to me and offered me his hand. "I'm not leaving you Bella, but it's time that you meet my family. We have a lot to discuss."

I took his hand as we exited the closet and made our way down two flights of stairs to the living room below. As we reached the landing I noticed several things at once. The first was the sheer beauty of everything. The perfectly decorated living room, with its muted tones and light woods, anchored by a large white sectional sofa on which four of the most beautiful creatures I had ever beheld sat. The first was a slight girl with short spiky black hair and a welcoming smile. Clinging to her shoulders, was a tall and lean blonde man, his protective posture worried me for a moment before he relaxed slightly and smiled. Next to him had to be the most beautiful women in creation, her flowing blonde hair and perfect features would've made me feel inferior if it wasn't for the smile on her face. Sitting next to her, with the biggest grin I've ever seen, was a behemoth of a man with curly black hair. As we moved closer to the overstuffed chair that sat opposite the couch, I noticed the two slightly older people standing by the fireplace. First I noticed the woman, with her warm caramel hair and smile, finally resting my eyes on the man I assumed to be Edward's father. My eyes moved past his blonde hair and focused on his kind eyes as he gestured for us to sit. Edward sat in the chair and I climbed into his lap, still clinging to him.

With us sitting down Edward's father began speaking. "Bella, my name is Carlisle, and this is my wife Esme and the rest of my family, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett." He gestured to the people I had just been looking at, and I nodded as my mind continued to absorb things, when I realized for the first time how thirsty I was. I knew that Edward said we had to talk to his family and I remember vaguely that there had been a lot of planning going on while I was sick, but I really needed some water first.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, but would you mind if I got a glass of water first, I'm really thirsty." Edward stiffened under me and I immediately became overrun with guilt, was this some social faux-pas that I was unaware of? Before I could tell them to forget it, Jasper spoke.

"Bella, water isn't going to help you feel better. Let Carlisle finish explaining and Edward will help you with your problem." I smiled meekly at him as I began to feel calmer, relaxing into Edward's chest and nodding for Carlisle to continue.

"There is really no easy way to explain this, but I think it will help if we knew what you remembered."

I tried to rack my brain but there was so little to recall. "I remember Edward, thinking he was a dream and then the pain started…and he stayed with me." I rested my head on Edward's shoulder, hearing the scoff from Rosalie, but choosing to ignore it for the moment.

"Do you remember anything else? Your parents?" Carlisle had moved a little closer as he smiled down at me.

"No." I shook my head. I knew I should remember them, but I couldn't dredge up a single memory. What in the hell was wrong with me that I couldn't remember my own parents?

"Carlisle, there will be time for these questions later; I think you should tell her before she gets any more anxious." Jasper stared at me, but it was Edward that responded.

"It isn't working?" Edward placed one hand on my right thigh and ran the other along the skin of my right bicep.

"Bella, when Edward came to you that night, he did something to change you. Now he never meant to harm you--" Another huff from Rosalie caught Carlisle's attention. "You're not helping Rosalie. Anyway, Bella, Edward set something into motion that can't be undone, he made you one of us. That's part of the reason for the memory loss, and why you were burning until tonight. And why you're so thirsty."

They had all felt that kind of pain? No wonder Edward was reassuring me; he knew exactly the pain he had caused me, although I couldn't bring it to myself to be angry at him. "What have I become?"

"Bella, you're a vampire."

**EPOV**

From the moment she woke up I felt the weight temporarily lifted, but I wasn't so stupid as to know that it would be back the moment that she knew about us. Watching her run to hide in the closet might have been funny if I wasn't so terrified for her. When she remembered me I felt an intense joy as she crawled to me and we headed downstairs. Now, however, was a different story.

Bella had been tensing up, and Jasper was somehow powerless to stop it, and then Carlisle said the words I never wanted her to hear. "Bella, you're a vampire."

She froze in my arms, her breath stilled and her eyes froze on him. "I know better than to think that you're joking. So what happens now?"

"Bella we're going to help you, take care of you, but you have to be feeling something about all of this?" I held her tighter, hoping my body would confirm my words but all she did was shrug.

"I'll deal with that later, for now could we do something about my thirst?"

Carlisle nodded and offered her his hand. She took it, climbing off of my lap, as I stood next to her. "Carlisle, why don't you explain hunting to her while I talk to Jasper for a moment."

He nodded, leading Bella towards the door as she looked back at me nervously. "You'll join us soon, right?"

"My love, I wouldn't miss you're first hunt for anything." With that they were gone and I spun to face Jasper. "What was that, what do you mean she has no feelings?"

"The wording is wrong, but the sentiment is accurate. It's not that she has no feelings; it's that she shut them off. Like she flicked a switch and they were gone, and all she had left was logic."

"I think that's why she has no memory. Maybe its part of her gift, like how she blocks her thoughts from you, maybe she just needs time and help understanding how to control it."

I nodded at Alice's hypothesis, but couldn't leave Bella waiting any longer. "I'll see you all soon."

I was out the door and at the river's edge where Carlisle was talking with Bella. "So you don't hurt people?"

"No, we do everything we can to preserve human life. Now, do you think you're ready to hunt?" Carlisle rested his arm on Bella, who smiled at him.

"Sorry about that, are we ready to go?" Bella turned to me, and smiled warmly.

"We're ready." I took Bella's hand and she squeezed mine as we jumped over the river.

Running out into the forest, Carlisle and I flanked Bella just in case something set her off. Bella seemed really reserved, which worried me; she didn't seem to be acting like a newborn. When we reached a safe distance Carlisle and I relaxed, trying to explain to her how to hunt.

"The most important thing is to follow your instincts, when you catch the scent just follow it, this will come naturally to you."

As Carlisle finished the sentence a change in the wind brought on the scent of some elk off to the west. Bella barreled through the woods toward the scent with us hanging back slightly so she wouldn't feel threatened. When she reached them her movement was like poetry in motion. My phone vibrated, but I ignored it, focusing all my attention on Bella. She leapt at a buck and took him down before the others knew they were no longer alone. Sinking her teeth into his neck, she took a long pull before she flew back, blood spewing from her mouth as she collapsed to the ground gagging and clutching at her throat.

"Bella!" I knelt beside her, the hunt forgotten as she struggled to breathe. Carlisle came to her other side and lowered his ear to her throat.

"Her throat closed up, almost like she's having an allergic reaction…"

"To blood?!" Oh my God. What if Bella was allergic to blood, what kind of an existence had I condemned her to?

"Edward we don't know that for sure, go to the stream and bring me some water, I want to clear out her throat."

I ran to the stream that was only a mile away. Picking up a large rock, I hollowed it out until it resembled a bowl and filled it with water, careful not to spill it as I ran back to the place I had left Carlisle with Bella.

Carlisle leaned over her, supporting her head in his hand. "Bella, I need you to gargle with the water to clean out your throat. Can you do that?"

She nodded weakly before opening her mouth so he could pour a small amount of water down her throat, which she coughed up, turning her head to let the pink liquid fall from her lips. We continued the process until the water ran clear and her breathing became easier. Her eyes opened and I immediately gasped.

_Edward, what is it?_

I looked down at Bella and she appeared to be reading my features, hoping to find an appropriate response to what was happening to her. "Everything's okay Bella, but I want Carlisle to look at your eyes."

She looked over to Carlisle and he studied them for a moment before nodding_._

_I think we should take a trip to Denali before me make the move to Ireland._

Carlisle spoke to her in a soothing tone. "Bella, we had originally planned to move to Ireland after you woke up, but I want a friend of ours to meet you first. We're going to leave today and head to Denali."

"Where Edward went?" The tone of her voice was weak and questioning, I couldn't understand what was happening to her, but if the change in her eye color was any indication, already starting to grow a grayish-red, as though she was a newborn who had gone hungry for months, instead of hours, worried me. I used the little leftover water and a piece of the bottom of my shirt to clean the blood off of Bella's face.

Helping her off the ground, Bella stumbled, so I picked her up to save time as we rushed back to the house. When we ran up the porch steps Alice met us at the door with a large bag. "Everyone else will be in Denali in a day or so, Esme called the hospital to inform them that you were leaving with Edward because he's taken a turn for the worse. Everything will be fine, but we have to get to Denali as soon as possible."

Taking off running, I clutched Bella to my chest as we started to pick up some speed. My mind raced, Bella couldn't be allergic to blood, how would she survive? Of all the things the change had taken from her, this new development was the hardest to bear. Looking over to Alice she shook her head, this hadn't been something she had seen coming. I knew better than to think she would have let us go if she had known, but how could this have escaped her until the moment before it happened? "Do you know what's going to happen to her?"

Alice shook her head again. "No, but Carlisle's diagnosis is right, he just hasn't figured out how to work around it yet, but he will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I've seen something else, and it proves she's going to be better again."

"What did you see?"

"A fight. I've seen it twice, it's different both times, but she takes care of herself either way, so be happy for that." God, I'm going to have to watch Bella extra close now.

"Alice, are you pissed at me about something I haven't done yet?"

She shrugged as we continued to speed by. "I don't know if it was you, but if you hurt her Rose and I will have your ass."

"Great!" With everything I've already done to her I can't imagine it getting much worse.

"Will the two of you stop discussing things that may not happen!" Carlisle kept his head down as we continued to run and I took the quiet moment to see where his thoughts were.

_If this is truly the case, then it is going to be tricky. I can try plasma; hopefully we can work her up to whole blood. I wonder if Eleazar has seen anything like Bella? She is truly unique, and if we can get this ugliness behind her I believe there will be great things in her future._

That was Carlisle for you, always seeing the best in people, except this time I couldn't help but agree with his assessment. I only hope I'll be there to see it.

We were half way to Denali at this point and Bella hadn't spoken once, which worried me with each mile that passed under foot. Stopping quickly to hunt, having gone without since the night I bit Bella, and nearly a week before that, we satiated ourselves and then continued on.

The sun was just beginning to rise as we approached Denali, and we were soon met by Carmen. "Come with me, Eleazar is waiting for you at the house." We followed her up to their large house and straight into the living room where Eleazar was indeed waiting.

"Edward, bring her here." Eleazar motioned for me to come forward as I placed her on the couch where he knelt next to her. I stood anxiously by her head as he looked her over. "Amazing. Did she have any problems with blood when she was human?"

"I don't know." There was little I knew about her, and I had no knowledge that would help them discover what had happened to her during the hunt.

"My friend what is it?" Carlisle stood behind me, clasping my shoulder.

"I've seen her power before, it's quite rare, and tends to be more physical but hers appears to primarily affect her emotionally and mentally."

"What does, what is it?" I needed to know what was going on and all of this cloak and dagger business was killing me.

"She's a survivor. At least that's what we called it in the guard. She'll be highly adaptable, much more than a normal vampire. You'll have to be very careful when you explain things to her in the beginning, because she'll have a tendency to use her power to protect herself before se fully understands it."

"Do you think that my idea of using plasma will work?" Carlisle called Eleazar's attention while Alice stood at my side offering comfort.

"Edward she'll be fine, I've seen it."

Alice's words reminded me of something that I hadn't thought about since Carlisle yelled at us earlier. "The vision you had before she woke up, it was of the fight?"

"No, that came later. I saw Bella sobbing. I don't know what caused it, but you're there, consoling her. The fight comes before. But something will happen to devastate her soon, before we leave Denali."

"…obtaining human blood shouldn't be too difficult with your license, but I think it best if we do this very carefully."

"Human blood?" I was snapped out of my conversation with Alice by Eleazar's words.

"Edward it's the best way--" Carlisle tried reasoning but I cut him off.

"No! It's bad enough that I've done this to her, I won't let you force her to be a monster. She may forgive the first, but the other--"

"Edward, the blood will be donated, no one will be harmed, but if we're trying to help her regain her strength, human blood is the best option. Once she's doing better we'll start weaning her onto animal blood. I promise you that."

"What if it doesn't work?" It came out as a broken whisper.

"Edward, I will do whatever it takes to make her better. Eleazar, will you come with me?"

Eleazar nodded and the two of them were out the front door without another word.

Trying to calm down, I picked Bella up and sat back down, cradling her in my arms. "Bella, everything is going to be okay. Carlisle will make you better and I'll be waiting right here for you when you wake up. Please Bella, come back to me."

And so I waited until Carlisle was back with the necessary supplies.

"Edward, I'm going to need your help." Carlisle looked up at me after he had everything set up.

Moving so that I was in a better position to hold her upright, Carlisle came over with the cup of plasma, hoping that the high water level in it would help acclimate her to blood. Pouring a small amount into her mouth, she didn't reject it immediately, giving me reason to hope. Soon she had the entire cup down without incident. Thankful wasn't a strong enough word for how I felt when she let out a wordless murmur. She wasn't conscious, but it was a promising turn.

"It may take a while for her to regain consciousness, and longer after that for her to be back to her normal strength. But this is a good sign; we'll just have to be careful." I nodded as Carmen came downstairs.

"We've prepared rooms for all of you, Edward, Bella and you are in Eleazar and my room."

"Carmen, I couldn't possibly--"

She silenced me with a sweet smile. "Bella needs to be comfortable; it's no trouble to us. The girls are out on an extended hunting trip, so the house will still have plenty of room."

I smiled at her and carried Bella upstairs, tucking her into the bed and climbed in next to her. It wasn't long before Carlisle returned with another cup of plasma. Being careful not to go too quickly, we fed her the second cup and the slight change in her coloring was another sign that this was working.

"Edward, I'll be back in a few hours, and when I am I'll have mixed a small amount of red blood cells in to see how she handles that."

I nodded and rested my head on her chest, listening to her breathing. The even pace of her breathing kept me calm until Carlisle arrived with her next meal. Sitting her up, she took the new mixture well and I was rewarded with a fluttering of her eyelids.

The next day continued on like this, with every feeding Bella grew marginally stronger, and with Alice's urging we were able to quickly move her up to a half-blood mix. When she finished that cup she stirred in my arms and after a few minutes her eyes opened, focusing on me.

"Edward?"

I smiled as I looked into her grayish red eyes. "Yes Bella?"

Before another word could be spoken she leaned up into me and claimed my lips. She kissed me as fiercely as she could in her weakened state, but she refused to let me go even after I pulled away to allow her time to breathe. "Bella, where did that come from?" I wasn't sorry that she did it, but I didn't want her to kiss me if it wasn't what she wanted.

"Edward, I've been thinking about kissing you since that day in biology, and with the way my luck has been going, I'm not holding back anymore." She smiled meekly at me but I just stared at her with my mouth agape.

"You have your memories back?"

"Only you. Everything else is fuzzy, but every moment that I spent with you, every thought you inspired or dream you filled is crystal clear in my mind."

I stiffened slightly, if she remembered everything then there's a chance she remembered the night I changed her, and I had to make that right. I needed her to understand. "Bella, about the night I changed you…I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am--"

"You're sorry you changed me?" The hurt in her voice was unmistakable even before I looked to see it written across her face.

"What, God no! I mean yes…shit. Bella, I never wanted to condemn you to this life, but that has nothing to do with how I feel for you. But everything I did that night, my actions…I'll regret it for the rest of my days."

"Edward, please--"

I stopped her, wanting to finish my explanation now that I had the courage. "Bella, you have to understand, I was born in 1901--" I paused, realizing this was news to her.

"You were born in 1901…how in the, oh. You were changed. Sorry that took a minute."

"Bella, you're handling this amazingly well, better than I could have dreamed, but if anything is upsetting you tell me, I don't want you holding back."

She smiled and stroked my cheek. "Edward, I don't know what's going on with me, but I've wanted you from the first moment I saw you. That night in my room, I thought it was a dream until I opened my eyes and saw you were really there with me. I can't regret anything that came of it."

I looked at the sincerity in her eyes and shook my head. "But Bella, I…forced myself on you. You were lying there asleep and exposed and I took advantage of that. I kissed you so you couldn't scream and I bit you in a moment of weakness. My parents raised me to be a gentleman, and from the time Carlisle changed me I've striven to life in his image of humanity and kindness, to be the good man Esme sees in me and I have failed them all. You deserved better than what I did and you deserve better than me."

"Edward!" I looked up to see that she was upset to the point of tears if that were still possible. I looked down, closing my eyes until I felt her hands take my face and pull it up. "What about what I want? Don't I get a say? Yes, I may have been asleep when you started it, but then I woke up and was a willing participant. I pulled you to me, Edward I moaned your name--"

"You wanted me?" The concept was so foreign to me. Bella really wanted me after what I'd done. "Bella, you don't know how much comfort that brings me."

Bella looked down as she thought for a moment. Oh what a time to be shut out of someone's thoughts. "Didn't you every wonder why I slept naked?"

I shook my head; the thought hadn't entered my mind until she brought it up. "No, I assumed that there was a practical reason, but I didn't give it much thought."

"That day in biology, you brushed past me for a minute, I'm not even sure if you recognized it, but all I remember was how cold your skin was. The next day when they said you were sick…I thought that was part of it. But when I would go to bed at night, I'd dream about you and the first night it didn't feel right. The next night I accidently left the window open and I got my answer. If I was colder then the dreams were more real, so I started cracking the window and sleeping naked so it felt like you were really there with me." Bella hid her face in the pillow, obviously embarrassed, but I just held her closer.

"Well, I won't feel cool anymore, but as long as you want me I'll be right here beside you."

Bella rolled over to face me again and smiled weakly. "I'll always want you."

"You're exhausted love, rest now. Once you're well you'll have no need for it, but I want to see you strong again." She leaned over and rested her head on my chest as her breathing evened out and with the exception of her dormant heart, it was as if she were human and I clung to these moments as I knew they would be fleeting.

Soon enough Carlisle was back with another cup, but for the first time Bella was able to drink it herself. She smiled at Carlisle as he noticed the marked change in her condition and Eleazar stopped in to see how she was doing now that she was awake.

"How are you feeling Bella?"

"Better, thank you for opening your house to me." Bella rested against my shoulder as we sat on the couch in the sitting area of the master bedroom, as she was uncomfortable talking for long periods while lying in bed.

"The Cullen's are always welcome here, as are you. Now Bella, I want to explain some things about your powers to you so you won't be caught off guard. Your body and mind will change much more than vampires normally do to help protect you from harm. Your memory loss does seem to be temporary, but there's no way to know for sure how much is going to come back. That's something your mind will open up when you're ready. But when those moments come, the emotional release will be intense, memories will be vivid again and they'll overload your senses."

"I know. It's happened already." Bella spoke softly, but with absolute certainty.

"When?" We both asked at the same time.

"When I first remembered you in the closet, I didn't get everything, but enough to know you, and to remember why I should trust you. And then right before I woke up here, I heard you for a few minutes and everything came back clear as day and when I opened my eyes you were there and everything made perfect sense. And you weren't attacking yourself this time, so I was calmer when the memories came." She burrowed in a little closer to my chest and I wrapped my left arm tighter around her shoulder.

"I'm glad I did some good this time." I smiled down when she looked up to scold me.

"Well that's good, but you must let someone know when it's happening. I've seen survivors have extreme reactions to memories, a few even blackout when a memory they aren't prepared for comes to the forefront of their mind. Also, you're emotions will shut off when things get too intense, or you're focusing on something and you don't want them to get in the way. Over time that aspect will be easy to control, but you must work at it."

Bella nodded and about that time, Carlisle came back. "Here you are, this is about 80% blood, so we're getting you there rather quickly, thanks to Alice's ability to see how you'll handle it."

"Do you all feed this often; because Edward you haven't left my side in days…if you have to hunt then I'll be fine until you come back."

Carlisle sat on the coffee table in front of Bella. "No Bella, we don't feed this often, but we also take in a significant amount of blood when we hunt, whereas with you we've been giving you a much smaller amount every two hours to help you regain your strength and get used to the higher red blood cell levels. Once you're able to hunt again you'll begin feeding once every week or two like the rest of us."

Bella smiled and took the cup, drinking it down quickly. When she was finished Carlisle wanted to run some tests on her strength, so I excused myself to give them a little privacy.

I went down to see if Esme and the others had arrived, but instead was greeted by Tanya and her sisters. Kate and Irina were surprised to see me again, but after I explained what had happened they welcomed me and offered me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before leaving me alone with Tanya.

"The girl you changed, she's the same one you ran from?" Tanya asked sitting on the couch, motioning for me to sit near her, which I did.

"Bella…yes, the girl I had promised to stay away from."

She giggled an odd sound that I wasn't used to hearing from her. "Guess I don't have to ask how that worked out for you?"

I shook my head. "I don't know how you do it, how you can be _with_ a human and not bite…I barely touched her and I was sinking my teeth into her."

"Edward this child is different, having someone's blood be such a strong pull is so rare that we often don't hesitate in the transgression, but you did my friend--"

"Yeah, for five minutes!"

Tanya placed a hand on my knee. "But you stopped. Edward from the first time Carlisle brought you here I desired you, but if you feel real love for her, not just lust, then that's proof enough that this is more than anything I've ever felt. You've searched for a century, and I've been doing the same for far longer and you've found it. You're protective and self-sacrificing, the change this girl has caused is evident and I'm proud to call you a _friend_ now more than ever."

I saw the sincerity in her eyes and heard it in her thoughts. _Bella is a lucky one to have your love, I wish you both well._

"Thank you Tanya, for everything."

"Edward?" Bella's voice rang out softly from our room as I stood up.

"I'll see you again; go be with your Bella."

I ran upstairs and entered the room only to hear her voice behind me as the door closed. "How could you?"

I spun around only to catch a right hook to the jaw. I looked at her in disbelief. "Bella, what did I do?"

"She loved you and you discussed private things about us with her." Bella's voice seethed but her volume was even as was her tone.

"Bella, Tanya is family. I've never wanted her like that, and she's known that for decades. But in our case she's uniquely qualified to sympathize."

"Why, because you've been with her?" The pain was clear on her face and I grabbed her arms, pulling her close.

"No! Never. Bella, I've never been with anyone like that. That night with you was the closest I've ever come. Bella you're the only one who has ever held my heart. Tanya and her sister…they fill the void not having a mate leaves by being…_intimate_ with humans. I never understood how they could do it, but I also never realized how difficult it was. Even Tanya saw the change you've inspired and she wishes us nothing but happiness. I didn't mean to upset you, but I was just talking to a friend about something she could sympathize with. I'm sorry."

Bella wilted in my arms as I pulled her to me. "I'm sorry too. I heard you two talking about us and I lost it. I can't get a grip on these damn outbursts."

I lifted her into my arms and carried her to bed so that she could rest before her next meal.

**BPOV**

I felt so bad about the fight with Edward, especially for hitting him like that, but I still couldn't get control of my emotions and it just exploded out of me. He continued to reassure me that it was nothing and soon I was feeling better as we got closer to whole blood.

It had been three days since my hunting debacle when Carlisle finally gave me my first cup of whole blood. I held it in my hands, staring down at it, but unable to bring it to my lips.

"Bella, is everything alright?" I looked up at Carlisle and grimaced as I turned to Edward.

"I'm sorry I can't be good like you." I felt Edward shift as his hands claimed my face.

"Bella, no one was harmed, and if you're able then we'll get you on animal blood." His eyes were soft as they melted my fear.

"What if I can't…could you still love me if I was a monster?" The cup of blood was out of my hand as Edward crushed me to his chest.

"We'll find a way, but no matter what, I'll always love you. If you can love me despite everything I've done, how could I begrudge you for a reaction I created?"

I smiled and turned back to Carlisle, taking the cup of blood and finishing it quickly. The difference this blood brought on was significant. I could feel the strength returning and as I told them they both relaxed, glad I had taken it so well. As they sat around planning when to introduce animal blood to me again, a noise alerted us to the fact that the remainder of our family had finally arrived.

Soon the entire Cullen family was in the bedroom, relieved that I was doing so much better than the last time they had seen me unconscious in Edward's arms.

"Dear, oh you've improved so much." Esme hugged me as everyone else greeted me warmly.

"How are you doing?" Rosalie asked as she sat near me on the floor.

"Great, we were just trying to decide when to switch me to animal blood."

"Already?" Jasper questioned as Alice wrapped her arms around his waist.

"She's done amazing; she's even started getting her memory back."

We sat around for a while talking about our plans, deciding that staying in Denali another week would be best before going to Ireland to stay near another clan Carlisle knew.

We were still sitting there when the rest of the Cullen extended family joined us, all coming to support me as I made another go at their diet of choice. I took an unnecessary breath as Carmen handed me the cup. I took a sip and immediately gagged. It wasn't as bad as my first hunting trip, but I felt sick in that first moment. I sat the glass down and then leaned into Edward as I felt his grip on me tighten. "Maybe it was too soon?" Carlisle mused as I stared at the cup wishing I could just swallow it.

"Wait!" Tanya was gone before I could look up and soon she was back with another cup, kneeling next to me. "Try this one."

I looked at her shrewdly, but couldn't doubt the desire to help that was plain on her face. I lifted the cup to my lips and although I was a little dizzy at first, I was able to drink it, and as I continued the lightheadedness passed and I was able to empty its contents. "Welcome to the ranks of the vegetarian vampires." Tanya smiled at me and I stared at her confused, but it was Edward that responded.

"Tanya, she couldn't drink the animal blood."

She was shaking her head before he was finished speaking. "No she couldn't drink _that_ animal blood, but the blood she drank was animal, not human."

"How?" Carlisle asked as he picked up the cup of unfinished blood and took a sip.

"We didn't know what type would be best, the cup that Carlisle's drinking was moose blood and the cup she drank was bear."

"So she can drink animal blood as long as it's a carnivore?" Jasper asked.

"It appears that way, thank you Tanya for being so thorough." Carlisle spoke as he put down the empty cup.

"I wanted to be prepared, I knew how much was riding on her recovery, and I didn't want her to be upset unnecessarily so we got both, not knowing if it would make a difference."

"Sweet! Bella and I can go wrestle some brown bears before heading off to the Emerald Isle." Emmett punched the air in excitement.

"Thank you Tanya, it really means a lot that you would go to all the effort for me."

"You're Edward's mate and a member of this family; I'd do anything to help you." I hugged Tanya and then looked over at Edward, glad that we had found the answer, but ready for today to be over. He seemed to sense it and smiled at me.

"Okay everyone; today has been a long day for our Bella, so why don't we let her relax."

Alice smirked and headed to the door as Edward muttered, "pain in the ass."

Soon enough we were alone and lying in our bed enjoying the feel of the other next to us, and happy to finally have some good news.

**So there you have it! Let me know what you thought…the first chapter of this story was one of my highest reviewed and has one of the highest alert numbers of any of my stories, so thank you for all the love…reviews will get you previews and we all know how much you like those! Happy Holidays~**


	3. Hard Goodbyes

**Here we are again…the Cullen's are getting ready to leave Denali and there are still plenty of twists and turns to mess with our favorite family. I'm just going to let you get to it and talk a little more in the closing note.**

**Please check out the Twi-High Anonymous Contest and see if you can spot my entry…here's the address:**

**http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2165753/Twi-High_Anonymous_Challenge**

**I don't own Twilight, but the plot is all mine! **

Chapter 3 – Hard Good-byes

**BPOV**

My strength had finally returned and Edward was so much more relaxed now that he knew I could hunt. The Cullen's all went hunting with the exception of Emmett who was adamant that he wanted to do some big game hunting with me because I would be relegated to small game once we got to Ireland.

As I stepped out to meet up with them, Emmett was practically bouncing at the prospect of hunting with me. "Bella, I know we haven't really gotten a chance to hang out, but I'm so excited that Edward didn't kill you, life is so much more interesting with you around."

I shot him a weird look. "Thanks…I think."

He wrapped his arm around me as Edward broke through the woods. "Emmett, why are pestering her. It's time to get going, Alice sees a storm coming in and it'll make the hunt more aggravating."

Walking to Edward's side I took his hand and smiled at the current that ran through us. Edward had felt it from the first time we touched, but between my transformation and the allergic reaction, I hadn't noticed it at first. As we took off running I opened up my senses to the forest around me. Coming to a spot in the woods Edward dropped my hand. "Bella, do you remember what the elk smelled like the other day?"

I nodded, curling my lip in disgust and he stepped further away from me. "Can you smell the difference now?"

I took a deep breath and noticed the difference immediately, looking to the right before I took off running, seeing the coyote as I leapt into the trees and then flew through the branches until I was close enough to make my approach. Jumping down, I took off sprinting and just as it turned to look at me I took him down and sank my teeth into his jugular. Drawing in the blood, the dizziness came back and I dropped it for a moment, sitting up straight as Edward came closer.

"Bella?" His voice was worried, so I shot him a smile.

"It'll pass, just give it some time." The dizziness faded and I was able to drink the rest of the coyote's blood. I stood up and turned to see Edward and Emmett staring at me. I felt self-conscious and looked over myself quickly. "What, did I do something wrong?"

Edward stalked towards me and grabbed me by the waist. "There was nothing wrong with that…it was sexy." Edward kissed me fiercely, growling at the added pleasure the blood on my tongue brought him as I grabbed at his hair and we both pulled the other closer. It was a little more than a minute before Emmett grumbled and ran off.

"So not cool! I'm going to go wake up some sleeping bears since you two seem more interested in groping."

Edward pulled back and looked at me. "He's right; you should get back to the hunt. We only have two days until our flight and you'll need to hunt again before then."

I was confused by that admission. "I thought I'd only have to hunt once every few weeks."

"We want to be safe with you getting on a plane so soon, especially with your allergy."

I felt a surge of emotion and then just as suddenly the passion I had been experiencing waned and I looked down. "It makes sense."

Edward gripped my arms. "Bella, what happened just then?"

"There was a moment of extreme emotion, but it rushed out of me." I looked into his eyes and he frowned.

"What are you feeling now?"

"Nothing, my mind is completely clear. I hate this." I whispered the last part, but of course Edward heard me.

"Bella, we'll figure this out. Your mind locks out your feelings so you can concentrate on thinking logically, but you'll be able to control it eventually."

I grabbed Edward's shoulder and he looked confused as I glued my lips to his. He responded and I gripped his shoulders as I wrapped my legs around his waist and my emotions returned. The contrast was strong because everything was felt so much more acutely due to my recent lack of feeling.

His hands ran up and down my back and I felt the tingle it left on my skin but I also felt the desire build. I clawed at his flexed muscles as the fabric of his shirt hung in tatters under my fingertips. Edward dropped to the ground and laid me down as he pressed me into the snow blanketing the ground. The crackling of each individual snowflake against my form reverberated in my ears as Edward's lips left mine and he licked his way down my neck. I wanted him with every fiber in me and a growl escaped my chest as I flipped us so he was on his back.

I looked into Edward's eyes as he grinned from ear to ear at my stealthy move, but the smiled soon morphed into a wide-mouthed moan as I ground my hips into him. "Beelllllaaa!"

I giggled before I recaptured his mouth. As my mind readjusted to the even parts of logic and emotion I slowed my kisses, finally standing up and offering Edward my hand. He took it and sat up before yanking me down into his lap. I laughed at him and he hugged me to his chest. "I'm absolutely not complaining, but what was that?"

I smirked at him and then kissed his neck. "That was me reclaiming my emotions."

Edward looked at me, pulling his neck from my lips, but I had expected his reaction so I wasn't too upset at the loss. "Did it work?"

"What do you think?" I raised my eyebrow and he ran his fingers through my hair.

"What did you do? Can you remember?" Edward's face was alight with the prospect of new information about my power.

I kissed the tip of his nose and brushed his erratic hair from his eyes. "I thought about you." Moving lips to his cheek I kissed him again. "I kissed you." Kissing the corner of his mouth this time, I whispered against his lips. "I rolled around in the snow with you." Kissing him sweetly on the lips, I rested my forehead on his, holding his eyes with mine. "Whenever things get too intense, or I start losing myself, all I have to do is think about you, talk to you…touch you and everything starts falling back into place. It's like I'm a satellite and you're the planet who's gravity holds me in orbit."

Edward's hands cupped my face. "You're more than a satellite, you're my moon. You turn my tides and are a constant for me in the dark of night." Edward thought for a moment before continuing. "That doesn't scare you though…that you have such an instinctual draw to me?"

"If it was anyone else but you it might, but you've always put me first. You protect me and worry about me…and you love me. And I love you. So all this does is cement in my mind that we were meant to be."

He scoffed and I knew he was thinking about the night he bit me, but he wouldn't bring up that regret around me, even if I sometimes saw it in his eyes. "Come on, I better teach you how to catch some craftier prey, because the smaller animals may be easier to kill, but they're more fun to catch." He winked at me and in an instant we were both standing as I caught the scent of a much smaller animal and took off.

Edward was right, trying to catch a fox was much more difficult as they were cunning little creatures and could fit into tight spaces. And although they didn't yield much blood, I enjoyed the sport of it.

After I felt sufficiently full, Edward and I walked back towards the house. When we arrived inside, the family was waiting, anxious to see how the hunt went. "Well?" Carlisle sat up and motioned for us to join them in the living room.

"It seems the dizziness is something I will have to deal with, but other than that I enjoyed it. I particularly enjoy hunting fox."

The room erupted into laughter and I looked around as Edward growled beside me. "That's enough!"

He stood quickly and raced upstairs. My eyes found Esme and Carlisle before I followed him upstairs. Entering the room I saw Edward at the closet, throwing most of his clothes in a suitcase. "Edward, what's wrong?"

He continued packing, even though most of the family's possessions of value were already shipped to Ireland before the house in Forks was closed. "Edward…have I…have I done something to upset you?"

Edward stopped mid-movement and spun around to face me. "No, why would you--"

"I was telling everyone about my hunt and then you just ran from the room…and now you're packing even though your things have been shipped to Ireland. Edward, I'm new at this, so if that was some sort of vampire social faux-pas I need you to tell me."

Edward was in front of me in a second as he took my face in his hands and held my eyes with his golden orbs. "It was them…my family seems to take some sick pleasure in teasing me now that I've finally found you. The suitcase is a prop for when we fly to Ireland; I was simply looking for something to busy my hands. We can't board the plane without luggage or we'll be flagged as suspicious travelers and we don't want that. You, my love, did nothing wrong."

Edward's fingers brushed across my cheeks as his lips kissed along my jaw. "Edward?"

"Hmm?" He hummed into the crook of my neck.

"What was the joke?"

Edward pulled back and bowed his head as his shoulders shook with laughter. "We have noticed over time that our hunting preferences are similar to our styles, our family, Alice and Emmett in particular find it amusing that you enjoy hunting fox, because of the implications."

I smirked and looked up at him through my lashes as I asked my next question. "Does my hunting resemble my preference?"

The gold of Edward's eyes melted and became molten as he swept me up and threw me on the bed, pinning me to the mattress. "Watching you weave through the trees and bounding across the snow…it took everything in me not to tackle you there and--" He stopped and then traced his hand across the side of my torso. "You are every bit the fox, Bella, and yet still as beautiful as your name would allude, my beautiful swan."

I pulled Edward's lips back to mine as I worked to further improve his mood.

********

**EPOV**

Emmett, Jasper and I spent the next morning out looking for the perfect snow covered hill. Tomorrow we were leaving for Ireland and I wanted to show Bella some of the fun aspects of being a vampire by taking her body sledding. I thought it would be a nice surprise after the drama of the past week or so.

We found a hill that seemed perfect, so Emmett of course had to test it out to be sure. Watching him wipe out on a hidden rock was hysterical, but as soon as he came to a stop he ran over and begged me to call her. I was so excited to share it with Bella that I pulled the phone out and was about to scroll to her number when it rang in my hand. I saw Alice's name pop up and shook my head as I put the phone to my ear. "Yes Alice, you can bring her now. Have you seen the hill it's--"

"Edward, stop talking! You have to head off Bella."

I froze at her words, unsure of what could be happening. "Alice where is she?"

"Heading due south from the house, you'll find her quickly, but hurry!"

I snapped the phone closed and took off, Emmett and Jasper quick on my heels. "Do you need our help?" Jasper asked and I shook my head, knowing that she'd be more embarrassed if I brought them to help restrain her.

"I'm fine, just let me get her."

They slowed their run and I exploded in front of them, kicking up snow as I pushed forward. I was soon on Bella's trail, using my speed to make up some of her time. I could catch her scent as I ran past and it was getting stronger, filling my senses and urging me forward. As I got closer I noticed her movements became more erratic, more evasive…she knew I was following her…or at least knew someone was.

I continued to follow the tiny marks her toes left as she sprinted, the only clue that she had been here, and then I saw her darting through the trees before me. Picking up speed, as we were getting close to the point where she would have to shift east to head into Canada or swim, I wanted to cut her off before we were face to face with any humans because I was blind as to what had made her run like that. Finally I got close enough and leapt, taking her down with a crash as a sapling buckled when we rolled into its trunk.

Pinning her to the snow, I held her wrists in my hands and saw the absolute anguish as she thrashed under me, shaking with her sobs. I collapsed on top of her, cradling her to me while still holding her tight, unsure if she would run again. "Please…Edward…I need…I promise…I can't…"

She trailed off again as the sobs overtook her. Holding her tighter to me, I rocked her, trying to soothe whatever upset her so much. "Bella, tell me what's wrong?"

Her breathing was ragged, but she managed to look at me and calm a little. "They're miserable. I'm sitting here, so excited about my new life and it is killing them!"

I didn't need to ask her what she was talking about; I knew she was thinking about her family, which meant she remembered them. And that was something she couldn't do this morning as far as I knew, because if I had known, I never would have left her to deal with that alone, especially when it was my fault. "Bella, what brought this on, did you get a memory flash or something?"

She shook her head and looked up at me. "No Edward, I saw them on TV…on the news and everything hit at once. They're searching for me. Charlie blames himself, he's convinced that I was kidnapped, because I wouldn't just run off like that and my mom is devastated. Edward I have to see them!"

I gripped her tight, shaking my head violently. "Bella, I can't let you do that."

Her head snapped up and her eyes burned with fury. "You don't control me Edward Cullen; I will go to them if I want to." The tone of her voice alerted me that her emotions were surging and that only logic would win out.

"Bella, you're too young to this life, if you go see them now, they'll either freak out at the differences, or you could kill them. With your allergy, human blood will always call to you differently because you know it won't hurt you to drink it. Someday, when you're better suited for it, I'll take you to see them but not now, it's too dangerous. I'm sorry my weakness is causing you such pain."

Her eyes softened as she started sobbing again. She didn't speak, but pulled me to her as I did the same, hoping to will away her pain. We sat in the snow for some time before she quieted and looked up at me. "If something upsets you, please come to me…you scared me running away like that."

Her brow furrowed and then she frowned. "You thought I was leaving you?"

I nodded. "I wouldn't blame you, but I'm selfish and I need you Bella…more than you'll ever know. We have to deal with these things together."

"Okay and I'm sorry that I made you think the worst, but I'm never going to leave you. You're the only thing that makes sense to me." Holding her, I stood up and began walking back to the house. "Edward, I can walk, you know?"

"Yes, but I need to feel you in my arms. I need to know you're safe and holding you seems to be the only thing that gives me any certainty of that."

She smiled and shook her head but let me carry her back to the house. When we got close, we were met by Alice and Jasper, who were joining us on our hunt because the flight was early tomorrow and we needed to give the blood a chance to settle so the bloodlust wouldn't still be high when we entered the crowded airport.

Sprinting off into the frozen tundra, Alice and Bella soon made a game out of their hunt as Jasper and I sat and watched. "She seems better, less…troubled."

"Jazz, if you had seen her earlier--"

"That bad?"

I nodded as the girls came back. Bella held out a freshly killed coyote to me, sitting it in my lap. "What's this?"

She smiled and nodded to the teeth marks in its neck. "I thought we could share it. I'm very nearly full and you've barely hunted so I wanted to bring you back something."

I laughed heartily as Jasper got up to follow Alice into the trees. "I'd love to share your meal with you." I lowered my lips to where she had began and tasted her venom in the wound as I drank the meal my Bella had brought to me. As I continued, she brushed the hair out of my eyes, watching me curiously. I lifted my lips from the drained animal and quirked an eyebrow. "What is it love?"

"Nothing, I love that look of peace on your face, it's nice to have done something to cause it instead of being the one to wipe it off your face."

Discarding the coyote, I pulled her to me and kissed her, excited that she was reacting instead of just sitting there and letting me lead the kiss. When I pulled away from her, I held her face so that she couldn't look away and kissed her lips sweetly before speaking. "Bella, I know you've been having a hard time, but please know that I love you and I will stand by you for every step of it. It's because of how much I love you that I react so strongly when you're hurting, please don't blame yourself for that."

She looked down for a minute before taking my hand from her face. "Edward, I miss my parents…how could I not remember them. I know it's my power, but they're my parents. I just moved back to live with my father and now I'll never get to talk to him again. And my mom, I was the one that took care of her for so long, how are they going to survive losing me?"

I pulled her to me again and began to rock her. "They'll depend on each other and they'll find a way. Maybe it'll help your parents become closer. I'm sorry you're all hurting, but if you come back to the house with me maybe we can talk some more and I can give you something I've been holding onto."

She nodded and we ran back to the house where I dug through the suitcase I had packed before I joined her on the couch in our room. "I took this from your house thinking you'd want it, but after everything with your memories happened I held onto it until they came back on their own."

I handed her the small photo album and her eyes lit up. She began flipping through it and smiled. "Thank you Edward." I sat beside her as she continued to look through it. After a minute she found a picture that made her laugh. Leaning into me, she showed me a picture of her in a tutu with her mother's arms wrapped around her. "My mom was convinced I'd be a great little ballerina. I don't know why, I can't walk on a flat surface without tripping, but whatever. I was horrible. They stuck me in the back and after that first recital I quit, but during that show she was so proud of me." She shook her head at the memory and then turned to the next page, telling me another story. We continued through the album like that, her smiling and telling me stories, the smile staying on her face until we reached the end. She seemed calmer and snuggled against me and I told her a few stories of my own.

We spent the night telling each other about our human families and childhoods until it was time to head downstairs and say good-bye to our family. All of our bags were packed into Carmen's car and Tanya had her car pulled up to the front of the house as well. We hugged Irina and Kate before Eleazar embraced Bella. "If you ever have a problem with your power, feel free to call me, I'm more than willing to be there to help you." She nodded and thanked him before we climbed into the cars. Alice, Jasper, Bella and I rode with Tanya while everyone else rode with Carmen. The car ride was tense as Bella tried to prepare herself for the three flights ahead of us. Tanya flew down the road at nearly twice the speed limit for most of the ride, but closer to the airport Tanya slowed down and pulled over, letting the other car disappear in front of us. "We're almost there, do you need a minute?" She looked over at Bella who shook her head before she began driving again. When we arrived at the airport in three hours instead of nearly six, we all climbed out and hugged Carmen and Tanya. After a long embrace, Bella stood back from Tanya and joined me on the curb. She leaned into my shoulder and took a breath and then smiled up as we made our way into the airport.

Security wasn't too bad, but I was more worried about Bella on the plane. Even with the seven of us there, we were asking a tremendous amount of Bella and her control, but after what happened with her memories while watching the news, putting an ocean between her and her parents was even more vital. The slight fear in Bella's eyes was disheartening, but she sat at my side and waited with amazing restraint until the flight was announced. We had first class tickets on our flight to Seattle, which was a necessary stop along the way, so we were boarded quickly. We flanked her on all sides, giving her the window seat so there was something to occupy her mind as I sat beside her with Jasper and Alice across the aisle, Carlisle and Esme in front of us and Rosalie and Emmett in the row behind us.

As soon as the fasten seatbelts light went off Bella unbuckled and curled into me, raising the armrest so there was no barrier between us. She stayed still, so still that the flight attendant offered to bring me a blanket, convinced she had fallen asleep. Her restraint once again blew me away and it wasn't until we landed that I had to step in to keep her from sprinting off the plane at an inhuman speed.

When it was our turn to depart, the girls and Esme took her off to the bathroom in the first class waiting room, which was thankfully rather empty for a Tuesday at 10am. Our flight to London left in an hour and I was far more worried about that one, as it was a 9½ hour flight, but I knew that between all of us we could protect her. They reemerged and we walked over to the gate, Bella tense again at the long flight ahead of us.

We sat in the same configuration as before and Bella leaned into me again. About two hours into the flight, Bella began to panic and I quickly pushed the armrest out of the way again as she shook and pulled her to me. "Love, you're doing so good, I'm so proud of you. Just focus on me and I'll help you through this." Trying to distract her, I brushed my hand along the outside of her left thigh, while nuzzling into her neck and hair. I continued kissing along her jugular for a few moments before she pulled away with her teeth clenched. "Bella?"

She pressed her body against the window and looked down at her lap as she spoke. "Edward, can you switch seats with Jasper?"

I fixed my features in case she looked up but quickly agreed, letting Jasper slip into my seat as I joined Alice across the aisle and spent the next seven hours watching Jasper keep Bella calm. And I knew I should have been grateful that he was able to help, but a part of me couldn't help but be jealous, because Bella couldn't turn to me when she was in need. I noticed that she was clutching a handkerchief for the majority of the flight and I didn't understand why, but it seemed to bring her some comfort as well, whatever it was. When they announced we were about to land Alice clutched my hand. "Edward, don't make a scene, you'll only feel like a fool afterwards. Be calm when you talk to her, you know she loves you."

I took an unnecessary breath and watched Bella as she sat there with one hand clutching her prop as the other held onto Jasper. Once again the doors opened and Bella was one of the first off, followed by Alice and Rose. When they were out of sight I grabbed Jasper and he turned to me confused. "Edward?" I could tell from his expression that he could feel the jealousy, hurt and anger rolling off of me.

"Why? Why did she turn to you? I've given her everything, done everything I could think of to help and she pushed me away, and I want to know why?"

"You should ask Bella, but first you need to calm down."

I felt the wave of emotions hit me and I fought to hold onto my anger. "Don't manipulate me Jasper. I want an answer."

"She couldn't think straight. Her emotions were running high and she needed me to calm her down before they shut me out. I know you were trying to help, but bloodlust is still lust and when you attempted to distract her, it made it harder to push back the thirst. I spent the last seven hours mouthing the general ages of the people in first class, telling her that they were going to visit friends or family they hadn't seen in years, making up stories for the people around us so she would fight the desire to attack. She didn't want me to say anything out loud because she was embarrassed at being weak, even though I told her no one thought she was. You may have been sitting across the aisle from us, but you never left her mind for a moment."

I immediately felt like an ass for questioning either of their motives, but the idea that I was lucky enough to get her was still too foreign that I couldn't help but question it. I heard Bella approach us and turned to talk to her in private.

"Don't be angry at Jasper, it's my fault." She wasn't looking at me, her eyes fixed on the runway outside the window.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Alice froze right after we turned the corner, but they wouldn't let me break you up, because Alice saw it causing a scene."

"So all of it?" She nodded and I pulled her to me. "Bella, I'm sorry. I don't want you to think that I don't trust you, it's just…it kills me that I can't be enough for you."

Her head snapped up and she squeezed my hands. "Edward, you are enough. I just needed to clear my head, that's all Jasper was doing. Remember, we said that I'd have to work hard in the beginning; well this morning was one of those times. I was just leaning on our family. You're my life but there are other people in our world and at times I'm going to need them also, you understand…right?"

"I do." She nodded and began playing with the handkerchief again. "What's that?"

She smiled and I'm sure if she still could have, a blush would have graced her face. "Tanya made it for me; it's from the shirt we destroyed in the woods the other day. She wanted me to have something with your scent to calm me in case of an emergency."

I looked at the material as she held it for me to see and saw that it was indeed my shirt with the initials 'I.M.C.' stitched onto it. Tanya gave her my last name. "You were clinging to it the entire flight."

"Your scent keeps me calm; it makes me feel safe, so I used this because I couldn't hold onto you."

I leaned down to kiss her and didn't let go until our flight was announced a short time later. Bella managed to keep calm on the hour long flight and I sat next to her as she watched Ireland fly by the window. "It's so green. I know they call it the Emerald Isle, but still. Where are we living?"

I laughed at her enthusiasm and told her. "Outside of Killarney, in County Kerry. Carlisle has friends that live there so we're going to be living near them. We won't be interacting with them like the Denali clan though."

"Why?" The look of confusion on her face was so adorable.

"They aren't like us in their…dietary choices."

Her face scrunched up even more and then recognition flashed across her features. "They aren't vegetarians."

I shook my head. Bella nuzzled into me and took another deep breath as the seatbelt light came back on and we settled into our seats. As the plane began to descend, she reached down and took my hand. Looking down at her I pointed to the window with our joined hands and whispered to her. "Welcome to Ireland, Bella."

**I know Edward is being really jealous right now, but he's trying to deal with his guilt plus his feelings of inadequacy when it comes to his relationship with Bella. Next chapter will be Bella's first experience with regular vampires. Plenty more angst coming up! Leave me love~ Thanks!**


	4. Outside Intrusions

**This is the unedited version of the chapter, complete with lemon...you have been warned, thanks to everyone who has support me!**

**EPOV**

The morning after the flight, Bella was feeling a little cooped up in our new surroundings and asked me if I'd be interested in going for a hunt. We went out alone and quickly found some pine martens in the woods. Bella seemed to be nervous about our neighbors, but we were luckily able to find an old farm and that gave us a wide berth as far as humans stumbling across us without warning.

It took seven of the cat sized animals before Bella was sated, but what she did next warmed my heart. Bella quickly dug a small hole and buried the animals, before covering it up. "Baby, are you burying your prey?"

"They look like someone's pet, I feel bad. I know it sounds stupid, but-"

"I don't think it's stupid, I love the reverence you have for your prey; it's a maturity that some vampires never reach."

I was going to say something more, but I heard Carlisle's thoughts. _Edward, can you two come back, the Irish coven is here._

"Bella, we have company. Are you ready to go home?"

Bella shrugged and stood up. "As ready as I can be."

We took off towards the house, reaching it sooner than I would have liked as we came face to face with the two imposing forms of Siobhan and Liam and the tiny wonder that was Maggie.

Sitting down after introductions were made, they were all very polite and welcoming, but were wary of the fact that Bella refused their lifestyle so adamantly when abstaining caused her pain.

Siobhan knew better than to question it after being friends with Carlisle for so long, but Liam was not so respectful.

"Why deny yourself what's in your own nature?"

I stiffened, a feral growl erupting from my chest before I could stop it, but Bella simply placed her hand on my knee and spoke for herself. "I've always had a respect for life, as a human I was a vegetarian, so being one in my new life is natural, even if it is harder. Sometimes the struggle is what makes the success worth it."

I was so proud of her in that moment and I took her hand as Maggie spoke. "It's harder than you let on, but it's admirable, if not a little foolish. But there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do it."

Maggie smirked and stood up abruptly, causing Carlisle to stand as well. "You're leaving so soon?"

Siobhan and Liam followed her, nodding. "We don't want to impose; we'll be seeing each other around."

Listening to their thoughts I knew it was out of respect for Carlisle that they left, because they could understand a lifestyle choice, but Bella's decision was beyond them at the moment.

Carlisle asked me to go for a run with him, and since we had spent so little time together over the past few weeks, I agreed, missing our talks.

**BPOV**

After Edward left with Carlisle, I was thinking about Liam's question more than I had let on, so I asked Jasper to join me out on the pasture. Once we settled into the grass, rain misting us gently, I finally broached the subject I had been holding in since I met him. "Jasper, why is it harder for you to abstain than the others?"

He took in a deep breath, holding it a moment longer than normal before he began speaking. "I came into this life as a warrior. I was trained to be a soldier and killed human and vampire kind indiscriminately for a long time. Humans were nothing more than a food source and the vampires we fought were standing in the way of that food source. I had a friend once, Peter, who I let go with his mate because he refused to kill her. They were the ones that let me know that there was a way of life that didn't involve the constant fighting. Although they weren't vegetarians, they were more civilized and I envied them."

He smiled and turned to look at me. "Then I met Alice. She did for me a lot of the same things that you did for Edward. I met her and I had a future, a family…hope. She knew about the Cullen's only through visions, but she brought me to them and we joined their family. I struggle because I know how limitless this life can be when you don't impede yourself, but how fleeting it can be if you go after it the wrong way. I crave the wholeness Alice provides far more than I do the satisfaction I get from human blood. But it doesn't take away the challenge in it."

"Do you think I'll be able to abstain?" I barely spoke the words, but he heard them.

"In the long run, I do. You have a reverence for life that almost surpasses Carlisle's and he has never drunk human blood, only tasting it when he changed the others. I'm not saying it won't be harder for you with the allergy, but I also think in the end that could be your saving grace. Only time will tell for sure. But don't feel like you have to do it alone. We're all here for you."

I nodded, looking up at the clouds as the rain grew heavier. "Am I really good for Edward like you said Alice was for you?"

Jasper laughed and I rolled onto my side to look at him. "Bella…Edward was lost. He didn't know what his reason for being was. He spent the last seventy five years being the odd man out, even when we joined the family, we were mated. Esme worried he had been changed too young, Carlisle regretted that he was in pain due to his selfishness…Carlisle changed Edward out of loneliness, and the rest of us felt guilty that we'd found our other half while he was still alone. Now we know he was just waiting for you. You are better for that boy then either one of you will ever know."

Smiling at the idea of being that important to him, I got an idea. "Jasper, will you help me with something?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

My phone rang and I laughed, answering it, knowing Alice had seen what I was thinking. "Will I be able to do it?"

"The rain will keep people out of that area, so you'll be fine. Just go quickly or he'll be close enough when you leave to catch your scent and chase after you thinking that you're making a run for it."

"Thanks Alice." I hung up and smiled at Jasper. "Tell Edward to meet me at the cliffs."

With no other warning, I took off and ran full speed to the cliffs by the water.

**EPOV**

There was something about Jasper when he gave me Bella's message that made me a little uneasy. Making my way to the cliffs by following her scent, I saw her standing by the edge. The wind was blowing her hair and she was a vision as her eyes burned into mine. Without taking her eyes off of mine she took a step backwards and I panicked as I saw how close to the edge she was. "Bella, watch out!"

All she did was blow me a kiss before taking one more step and disappearing over the edge. Running to the edge I dove down, desperate to see that she was okay. Hitting the water, I reemerged to see if there was any sign of her on the surface and saw her bobbing near the rocks under the cliff edge that jutted out over the water.

I swam over to her and grabbed a hold of her, kissing her furiously. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Bella smiled against my lips and pulled away slightly. "Edward, I'm not breakable. You made me your equal…now make me yours."

She wrapped her legs around my waist and rocked into me and I looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity there. She wanted me and I had been daydreaming about her since that night in her room, but hadn't wanted to push her too fast with everything else going on. But there was nothing to stop me now, especially with my Bella asking me for it. I took off my shirt and tied the sleeve to my jeans, throwing them onto one of the rocks as Bella did the same with her clothes and then hid behind one of the rocks.

Following her, I was confused by the shyness that graced her features. Assuming it to be nerves, I swam to her and went to push her above the water level against the rocks so I could see her beauty but her hands stopped me. "Let's stay in the water."

Then I understood; she was self-conscious. That was why she had wanted our first time to be in the ocean, because it would disguise her body from me and bolster her bravery. "Bella, you're beautiful. I've seen all of you and I love every curve and plane of your body. But if you still want our first time to be in the water…let's do it in style."

Kissing her, I kicked off the rocks, sending us spiraling under the surface as we tangled our limbs together and pulled her flush against me. Opening my eyes, I moved my lips to her breasts and lavished them with attention as I felt her head fall back.

Her hands pulled me up by my hair and my lips were once again on hers as she began pressing herself against my aching length. Lining myself up with her entrance, I looked at her and slid inside her. For the first time, I was happy that I had changed her, because it meant that there would be no discomfort in her first time.

Moving slow at first, Bella wrapped her legs around the back of my thighs giving her a better angle to help control our movements as she met every stroke. The feeling of weightlessness the water added, along with the ebb and flow of the current was overwhelming as I exploded, Bella's nails digging into my back as she clamped down on my manhood, reaching her own release on the heels of mine.

Swimming up to the surface, she rode on my back to the rocks only to notice her clothes were missing. A feral growl erupted in my chest at the thought of her running naked through the forest, but Bella was already off my back and buttoning my shirt over her perfection, throwing me my jeans. "In your dreams, Cullen."

We climbed the cliff face, which took inhuman restraint as Bella's ass shimmied above me while she pulled herself back up to the cliff where she had started this little game.

Running back home, we went upstairs to shower, thankful not to have an audience.

Over the next few weeks we didn't have much interaction with the Irish Coven, which was fine by me as Bella got used to the few rare humans we met by chance. Her restraint was extraordinary as she closed off her throat each time and waved politely before making a break for it. She had found a little knoll about ¾ of a mile from our property which was in the middle of nowhere, so she often went there to clear her mind when she was having a hard day.

Today had been one such day as Bella fought her nature when some tourist got very lost on their way to Killarney and ended up walking up to our house of horrors to ask for directions. The moment they were in the clear, Bella had slipped out and ran in the opposite direction of them to her knoll.

I didn't follow her because I trusted her and knew if she wanted or needed me, she'd ask me to come with her. That was something I had begun to discover, it was easy to trust Bella and she trusted me implicitly as well.

She had been gone for about forty-five minutes when Alice ran downstairs. "Edward, she needs you."

Alice's vagueness bothered me. "What did you see?"

Her face was contrite. "I would have seen her kill someone, but there's a body…just go!"

Hearing words like 'body' and 'kill' sent me running off to make sure Bella hadn't done something she would regret.

Speeding to Bella's hiding place, I caught the whiff of the body, hours old and ran to her, now sure that she had only discovered it after it had died.

I saw the shallow grave first, which worried me, because of how Bella continued to bury her prey, but then the wind changed and I caught Liam's scent in the air. He had buried this body here. Worried about Bella, I heard a creak above me and saw her crouching form in the trees. "Come here, it's all right."

Bella jumped down and wrapped her arms around my neck. "She was one of the girls from this morning."

I looked again and sure enough, she was the youngest of the tourists we had directed towards the city. Working quickly, I re-buried the body and then led Bella home.

Carlisle came up to me and tried to calm me, but there was no use. "Son, I know you're upset, but don't start a fight over this."

"Carlisle, she's the only scent within a ½ mile of that place, Liam knew what he was doing leaving the body there. They're disrespecting my mate and questioning our lifestyle in a dangerous way. If she were to lose control it would be more than just our family that would come into the Volturi's mind. This is their territory after all."

"The Volturi?" Bella questioned and I turned to her, stroking her cheek.

"I'll tell you all about them tonight; I should have mentioned it earlier, but nows as good a time as ever."

Bella nodded as the knock on the door came. "Let me handle this," Carlisle said as h walked away. We sat as a united front on the couches as Carlisle let his friends in.

"Why did you call us here Carlisle, we know it wasn't simply for a chat." Siobhan smiled as she motioned towards Maggie. As I listened in, I saw that they were clueless, and obviously hadn't gone hunting with Liam this morning.

"Siobhan, you and I have been friends for a long time, long before you met your coven, so you know how seriously I value my lifestyle."

"Carlisle, we don't begrudge your lifestyle. We may not understand it, especially in the case of young Bella, but we respect that it is a choice you made." Siobhan was a little defensive as Carlisle looked from her to Liam.

"You're acting like I left a fresh body there. She was spent. I only wanted your young Bella to make the choice on her own, without the outside influences."

"I made my decision. And I would appreciate it if you didn't leave me anymore presents." Bella was firm but courteous to Liam, far more so than I would have been.

"Very well. I'm sorry, it was thoughtless." Liam's sincerity was confirmed by Maggie as she crossed to Bella.

"Your fortitude is impressive. Stick to it and you'll do fine. If we had known his plans we would have never let him follow through on his idiotic plan."

"Thank you, Maggie, Siobhan…Liam."

Carlisle and Esme went out on a run to talk to the Irish Coven as my siblings came to check on Bella.

"Well done, Bella." Jasper mussed with her hair and she shot him an annoyed glance before Emmett swept her up.

"Way to go all vamp on us sis! That was so great how you put him in his place with a smile on your face."

I shook my head, but as Bella was put back on her feet, I took her hands and we went out to hunt since her control had already been pushed twice today.

We hadn't had an incident in nearly a month as Bella grew stronger and was now 10 weeks old to our life. We hunted a little more often than would be needed, but it helped Bella feel more secure.

On one such hunt, Bella and I were watching Emmett danced around with a horse while singing the "Mr. Ed" theme song using the animal like a large rag doll. While Bella still respected her prey, she had broken from her tradition of burying it and had lightened up about my family's hunting…especially Emmett.

"Emmett, quit playing with your food."

We all laughed as he put down the spent carcass. "Or what, you'll take it from me?"

She shook her head. "No thanks, but I will tell Rose." Emmett froze and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Bella, if you mess with my sex life I swear I will make you go all 'Robot Bella' and use that survival power of yours." We laughed again but were quickly drawn by the noise behind us. Listening in, his thoughts threw me off.

_Not good. Don't need to know this. It can only cause problems for you, Alistair._

And with that he was gone.

"What in the hell was that?" Emmett asked.

"You probably scared him you behemoth." Bella joked, but I took her hand.

"Let's get back home." Both of them turned to me, but I just started running, with them hot on my trail.

Carlisle was outside waiting for us when we got home, the rest of the family with him. "Who did you see, Alice saw it, but she doesn't know him."

"His name was Alistair. He kept talking about how he shouldn't have seen us**;** that knowing about us would be a problem."

Carlisle looked down quickly and I knew that this name was familiar. "Alistair is an old friend. He's paranoid, the Volturi scare him and he lives in fear that one day he'll come across someone or something that they would kill to know about. He goes in hiding whenever he meets someone new and thinks that the acquaintance could prove troublesome. He's harmless really."

I began to relax, but then the Irish Coven came running over the hill and met us in the pasture. "I take it Alistair saw you." It wasn't a question as Liam stood behind Siobhan.

"How did you-" Carlisle began but Siobhan jumped in.

"He came to us and warned us that your coven was too big and powerful and too close to the Volturi. He told us to leave so we wouldn't be associated with your treachery. He said it as if they were following him."

"You know Alistair; his imagination gets the best of him. The Volturi aren't going to start trouble unless we do something to warrant it, and we have no intention of doing anything stupid." Carlisle assured his friends.

"Be careful, that's all we can say." Maggie added and they returned to the hunt that Alistair's ranting had interrupted.

"Is this coven really too big?" Bella had a limited knowledge of the Volturi, I had told her some of the history, but didn't want to bore her with details once she knew the essentials.

"We're larger than their coven." Rose commented and I glared at her.

"But you said-" Bella turned to me and I knew what she was asking.

"They don't count the guard. The family is only Aro, Caius, Marcus and the wives."

"Are we really a threat to them, we live a life that is better concealed than any normal vampires. They couldn't honestly-"

"Nothing is going to happen. Please don't get worried because of the ramblings of a madman. No one is going to come after us."

Calming her nerves, we entered the home as a family and continued on with our day.


	5. Missteps

**I know it has been two months, and as most of you know that isn't like me, but life has been crazy and I haven't had much time or energy to write. I've finished two stories, so this is the next one I am fast tracking, so look forward to more frequent updates than have come of late. Thanks for not giving up on this baby…**

**Also, I won the Office Romance Challenge with my one shot "Carried Away" so I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who supported it, the reviews were so amazing.**

**Lots of love to A Cullen Wannabe for the love and taking on this story as I'm trying to get my sister to beta for the original story I'm working on. If you don't read her stuff already, that's my rec…she's awesome!**

Chapter 5 - Missteps

**BPOV**

Alistair's comments were really bugging me, but everyone else seemed calm about it so I tried to let it go. I didn't want to be the one to get my family into trouble; the Volturi didn't seem like the type of people you should piss off.

In the few days following the run in, we stayed close to home and saw little of the Irish coven, which was fine by me after the stunt Liam pulled.

After being cooped up in the house for nearly a week I decided to go out for a run while the boys went to play around and Alice and Rosalie went into town to shop. Esme had offered to come with me, but I really just wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I'd been having flashes of things I didn't understand, but couldn't figure out what it was so I could talk about it with Edward.

Running over the hills of the countryside my mind started to clear, but before I could get the answers I was searching, the wind changed. The second it did, I was assaulted by the sweetest, most tempting scent I'd ever encountered.

Without conscious thought my body was hurtling towards it and even though I knew it was human, I wasn't of a mind to stop it. I cleared the next hill and saw the devastation in front of me.

The car was overturned on the side of the road, having missed a turn and landed in the ditch. The blood was strong and I was at the window having honed into the weak heartbeat and the labored breathing of the young ginger-haired girl behind the wheel. There were small cuts on her face, the only sign of bleeding I could see. A few tiny gashes were all it took to break me. She looked up at me with an inexplicable expression before she muttered, "Aingeal."

No sooner did the word leave her mouth than her heart lurched and I lunged forward, claiming her neck as I sliced through the membrane and tasted her nectar, still warm from the life that had just left her.

I drank her quickly, greedily, unable to feel anything as the monster in me used logic to sway me into committing this act. All too soon, the young girl was spent and all the emotion hit me. The flashes came…every minor injury I'd sustained in my lifetime, every stitch, every bruise coming back in perfect clarity. No one had claimed my life as punishment for my clumsiness and yet I had done so to this girl, a girl not too much older than I was.

The heartsick feeling overwhelmed me as my thoughts moved from her family to my own…to Edward. He'd been trying to help me deal with my allergy and the urges and this was how I'd repaid him. The guilt overtook me and I ran again, this time I wasn't going to be so easily found.

**EPOV**

Carlisle was refereeing over a wrestling match between Jasper and Emmett when my phone rang. "Alice?"

"Keep a close eye on Bella today; I just saw a car accident that will overcome her if she's alone."

My heart stopped as I thought to Bella and Esme alone at the house. "She's with Esme…can you tell when this is happening?" There was an eerie silence that scared me. "Alice?"

"It's too late. You have to find her. We'll meet you at the accident and try to follow her scent from there."

Those three words destroyed me. _It's too late._ I'd failed her. I promised to keep her safe and make her newborn year easier and I had left her to battle her allergy. My brothers and Carlisle had heard the conversation and were next to me as I stood up and took off, pushing my body hard as I saw in my mind the place Alice saw in the vision.

I heard Esme ahead and ran to her, knowing that if she had stopped it was likely because she had found the accident site following Bella's scent from the house. When we reached the accident I saw her clinging to Bella's sweatshirt, which was stained with blood. "Edward, I'm so sorry. She said she wanted to be alone, but I wasn't thinking…it's been decades since we've had a newborn in the family. The thought never crossed my mind. It's all my fault."

Before Carlisle could, I clutched Esme and hugged her tightly. "Don't blame yourself; I should have been with her. I'm her mate, it's my duty to support her and I failed her."

Just then Alice and Rose arrived and Alice broke in. "There's no blame here, but we have to find her. Maggie and the others are looking for her on the other side of the property, though I'm sure she ran further from the house, but they wanted to help."

"How did they…you were with them?" I asked Alice, who nodded.

"Maggie came with us and when I had the vision, she insisted on helping as did the others. We have to spread out and start looking."

Carlisle looked up from the front seat of the car where he was checking on the young girl. "She would have never survived this accident. And it appears that she had died right before she was fed upon, you can see where the venom pooled by the wound instead of flowing into her system. Bella didn't kill this girl."

"We have to tell her that." I took off following her scent, but found it difficult as the wind was howling and messing with the directionality. Fanning out, we searched the hills and woods, but were coming up empty. I made it a little more than 20 miles when I found an abandon farm.

The closer I got to the property, the stronger the pull was, and then I caught her scent. It was masked by cow pies and muck, but I knew it was her. I conference called my family, telling them about the farm before I ran to the barn.

I reached the barn door and was about to open it when I heard Bella yell down. "Stay away!"

"Bella it's okay; just let me come up." I went over to the door again, but her demand stopped me.

"No, Edward if you come in here I'll run. I can't face you right now."

The anguish in her voice broke my heart, but I couldn't force myself on her, I knew that from my own experience as I had struggled early on. Our family came up behind me and I turned to them. "She won't let me in."

"Let me try." Carlisle walked over to the door. "Isabella, may I come in and talk to you?"

There was a silence, so Jasper walked up and spoke quietly. "Bella, how about me?"

The sigh that followed broke a little of the tension and when she muttered, "Fine," Jasper opened the door and closed it behind him.

**BPOV**

The door to the barn slowly opened and I held my breath as Jasper entered and climbed up to the loft where I was hiding. "Don't try to comfort me, Jasper, I don't deserve it."

"You're being too hard on yourself. Carlisle looked at the girl…she had just died when you drank her, was that how you found her?"

I shook my head ashamed to talk about my shortcomings. "She was alive, just barely. As soon as she passed I was on her."

"But you held off. Bella, we all fall short sometimes, I know I have. Did you blame Edward for his weakness or did you instead love him in spite of it? He made the same mistake you did."

"I was his singer, she was just some girl…she thought I was an angel, but I'm not, I'm a monster."

"Bella, you're allergic to animal blood, so humans will always be a problem for you. No one down there blames you for that. You're young. It would be unfair of us to expect perfection from you. Please, Edward is losing his mind with worry down there."

I looked up at him, feeling even worse that I'd hurt Edward more. "I don't want to hurt Edward."

"Then come down and let me see that you're okay." Edward's velvety voice called up to me. I shivered at the pain I heard it in and let Jasper lead me down to the rest of our family.

As soon as I walked out into the field, Edward swept me into his arms. "Baby, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you."

I clutched onto him tighter, needing to feel him. "It wasn't your fault, I did this."

"Bella, don't do that. Let's go for a run, just the two of us."

I could see the family start to tense, but I needed to speak to him. "Okay."

We went for a long run and stopped when I couldn't take the thoughts racing through my head any longer. "Love?"

"Edward…I'm scared." The moment the trembling whisper left my lips Edward had me crushed to his body.

"Bella, you'll get better and we'll do a better job of protecting you from yourself-"

I shook my head and cut him off, wanting him to understand my fears. "It isn't that. Edward, I know you only told me the minimum about the Volturi because you didn't want to scare me, but I need to know everything."

Edward grumbled and took my face in his hands. "Bella, I know what this is about, but honestly, Alistair is a loon."

"Edward, I feel it in my bones, there's more to this."

Edward huffed and sat, pulling me into his lap. "Okay, so you know they are our equivalent to royalty and that they enforce the rules about the secrecy of our kind, but there's more to them. The guard is made up of some of the most gifted and talented vampires there are. They help them keep situations from getting out of hand because there is very little chance of surviving a run in with them if you fight. But we don't have to worry about that, because we aren't a threat to them."

"But our family is powerful, with you, Alice and me, especially once I'm in control of my ability, we could pose a threat."

Edward shook his head. "Carlisle and the Volturi, Aro in particular, are close so he could convince him of just how little a threat we are. Love, I don't like it when you get yourself worked up like this. How about we talk about what happened this morning, I want to make sure you aren't beating yourself up over your…transgression."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Murder isn't a transgression, but don't worry it won't happen again."

Edward turned my face back to him from where I had lowered my eyes. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "When I caught the scent, it was instantaneous. The logical side took over and I was barely able to think. I held off until I heard her heart fail and then I consumed her. As soon as she was dry I was hit by memories of every injury I had ever sustained…I was a very clumsy human, Edward. No one ever killed me for falling off my bike, or breaking my arm, but this girl drove her car off the road in the morning mist and was murdered for it. The guilt I felt…_feel_…it's enough to ward off me ever drinking human blood again. The emotional onslaught was too terrible to justify the brief satisfaction."

Edward crushed me to his chest as I finished speaking and then he tried to force me to look at him, but I steadied my jaw. "Don't…my eyes are that of a monster."

"You're eyes are yours, regardless of the color, and they are the window to your soul."

I gasped, remembering both Alice and Edward mentioning his belief that vampires were soulless…that the transformation took it from us along with our humanity. "My soul…but I thought-"

"You've cured me of that logic; because there is no way that you are without your soul. Everything you do is further proof of that."

"I'm glad you've changed your mind, now can we go home. I'd like to spend some time as a family."

Edward stayed perfectly still as I started moving. "You're still worried about all of this, aren't you?"

I nodded and took his hand. "I don't want to be caught alone if someone were to pay a visit, after all we are closer to Italy, they may decide on their own to check in on an old friend."

He shook his head but didn't say more as we headed for home.

**EPOV**

Bella was so tense on the run home, but it seemed to ease slightly as we arrived. The family rallied around her as she told them the same thing she had me. The anguish that had overcome her when her emotions returned had me hopeful that it would make her abstaining easier, but it broke my heart that she had to suffer so.

We sat around with her as she asked us about our own struggles with our lifestyle, but as it was my turn, I stiffened slightly. "I rebelled when I was younger, going out and hunting men who were vile and I felt society could live without. In the end, I still felt the guilt and returned home. I've had some moments since then but it had been decades since I had tasted human blood…"

"Until me." Bella whispered. I saw the sadness on her face. "I'm sorry that you suffered like this because of me."

"Don't blame yourself, I know better than to regret changing you now. You are the most important thing in my life."

Bella shook slightly with the tears she couldn't cry as she spoke. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I was so scared you'd push me away."

Bella took my hand as we headed upstairs to relax after the taxing day.

I ran my fingers through her hair as she lay there quietly. We hadn't spoke since we left the main floor, and I was beginning to worry if she had really had let go some of the guilt she felt over killing the young girl, when she heaved a sigh and rolled over. She looked a little pale, which was a feat for a vampire. I sat next to her again as she looked up at me. "Bella, love?"

"I feel weird."

I pulled her to me and she melted into my side. "Like when you had the reaction?"

"Not really. It's not a strength issue…I'm a little dizzy and I have this feeling of dread."

I held her close and she relaxed a little. "It may just be your power reconciling today's events. If it gets worse then we'll call Eleazar, but for now I think it would be better to relax and focus on your mental state, because I know that you haven't forgiven what happened today."

Bella snuggled against me and I felt her lips against my neck. "Thank you, I love you for taking such good care of me."

I kissed her hair and whispered into her ear. "Anytime, my love."

It was five days since Bella's slip and she had kept the family close. Her headaches were back and the dizziness was there too, but she tried to squash it anytime it came up. The Irish coven came in to check on Bella soon after and to my surprise accepted her powers affect on her food choice and were much less judgmental of her downright refusal as they had been originally.

Whenever someone would go to leave, she visibly tensed and it broke my heart to see, but we all tried to do things together.

It was a similar afternoon for us as we set out to play some baseball with our larger numbers, as we rarely did it anymore and there was a thunderstorm on the way. Even the Irish coven was coming out; giving us an even 10 people after Maggie agreed to umpire as it was impossible to question her honesty.

We marked out the field and Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie joined Siobhan and Liam as one team, with Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Bella and I making up the "young bloods" as he called our team.

We were first to bat and after about 45 minutes; Rosalie caught Emmett's fly ball, bringing them off the field as we headed out to our positions. Alice loved to pitch, so she took the mound as I went into the outfield, prepared to run for anything hit too far. Jasper was catching, leaving my girl and Emmett on opposite sides of the infield, teasing each other mercilessly.

Carlisle hit a fair shot, but it was no match for my speed as I made the catch and threw it back to Alice. Rosalie's hit got her to second base as Emmett and I jumped for it at the same time, colliding in midair.

The rain began to come down even harder, giving the valley better coverage as Liam stepped up to bat. However as soon as he hit the ball Alice froze on the mound and Bella dropped, clutching her stomach. I raced to Bella as Jasper reached Alice, the game forgotten as Alice choked out two words. "They're here."


	6. An Arduous Journey

**Thank you to everyone who has followed and fallen in love with this story. I know it was a rough summer, and you saw very little of me, but I'm making up for it by re-posting all of my stories in their unedited glory, including the lemon in Chapter 4 of this story, which is already done, if you wanted to click back and read it. I'm very excited to announce that my entries for the Age of Edward contest both made it to the judges round, so I will know later tonight if either of them won something. To follow my insanity head over to twitter and follow agoodwitchFF I promise, it's worth it!**

**Thank you to my beta on this story, Mizzdee…she's awesome, you should check out her stories…they're phenomenal. Big love also to my WC girls~**

**Lastly, Twilight and its characters aren't mine, the original plotlines and characters are mine, please to not copy or repost without my express permission. **

**BPOV**

"What do you mean, 'they're here,' who's here?" Emmett asked, but I already knew the answer.

"The Volturi. They found us." I whispered and soon found myself wrapped in Edward's arms.

"I'm sorry." He breathed against me, the pain evident even without the sound of his normally velvety voice to betray him.

"There's no time for that. Just don't do anything foolish," Alice hissed, as he looked at her, annoyed.

"She's right, Edward, just let them talk. We don't need to make this worse by seeming antagonistic," Carlisle added as we closed ranks, the Irish coven standing nearby.

There were less of them than I would have expected, but Carlisle stiffened slightly at the four people who approached. The first was a giant, even larger than Emmett, which caused me to tense at the damage he could inflict, but his features were hidden from me behind the hood of his dark gray cloak. The second was just shorter than Edward, but the focused expression on his face let me know that his power was most likely formidable. Suddenly I knew that the number of guard members was not an accident, they were likely hand-picked because they would be able to do their job. The last two looked to be twins, younger than the others were, but I could sense that they were the two to fear, their harsh expressions caused my chest to tighten.

Edward stepped in front of me and the girl smiled. "All that did was betray your feelings to us, it won't protect her."

I shifted behind Edward, but Carlisle quickly tried for diplomacy. "Felix, it's been a long time."

The large man nodded, meeting Carlisle's eyes. "It has been too long. That is why we're here. Aro would like to speak to your family; he has a proposition for you."

"We won't join you. The life we've created for ourselves is very different from your way of life; it isn't something we chose lightly." Edward tried being courteous, but there was an edge in his voice, something about their thoughts made him very wary of any type of cooperation.

"It wasn't a request. Your decision is your own, but Aro will speak to you, it is better for everyone if the use of force isn't deemed necessary." The smaller man walked forward and tapped his temple deliberately, as if he knew that Edward was reading his mind and there was something in his thoughts that would keep Edward from challenging him.

"Carlisle and I will come with you, but the rest of our family will stay behind, we will return and make our decision once we've discussed it at a safe distance." Edward's voice was hard and I stiffened at the terseness of his tone.

"That isn't acceptable," the young girl hissed, her eyes narrowing at us.

"Neither is your attempt to hurt my mate during what is meant to be a non-violent visit."

I gasped at his words; somehow, my survival power was keeping me safe from the venomous stare she was pointing at us. A second later, Edward was on the ground in front of me, writhing in pain. I dropped to his side, my right hand grasping Edward's while my left stroked his cheek. "Edward!"

I looked around to see the rest of the family standing around in different types of distress. I could feel Jasper trying to calm them, Carlisle simply reached out in the direction of Esme, but the touch seemed to do nothing to reassure them. Emmett and Rosalie were both more active, him flailing his arms anticipating an attack while Rose looked around franticly. Alice was the only one who was truly calm, she stood perfectly still. I was a wreck. They were here for me and my family was being punished. "Stop! I don't know your names, but please, we'll go with you if you just stop this!"

I started sobbing as I felt Edward rise slightly off the ground again before he opened his eyes and relaxed, clinging to me. "What happened? Are you okay? I was completely cut off except for the pain."

"I'm fine. I was left untouched by their powers…I'm sorry…but I agreed that we'd all go with them."

"What?" Edward looked pained again and I closed my eyes to block out the sight.

"I couldn't sit by and watch you in _pain_, it was killing me."

Edward's arms wrapped around me as he whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be getting angry with you, I would have done the same thing."

Carlisle came to stand behind us. "Must we travel with you, or can we follow after once we've gotten ourselves ready here?"

The younger man looked up at him as his lip twisted into a smile. "You have three days to come to Volterra or we will come and find you."

"Then we will see you in three days, Demetri." Carlisle smiled and the four of them leveled one last look in our direction before pulling up their cloaks and disappearing over the same hill they arrived at.

"What are we going to do?" I asked my family, not knowing what we should do about these events.

"Everything will be handled. Esme, how long will it take for you to close up the house?" Edward still had a firm hold on me and it was all that was keeping me rooted in place.

"A few hours, maybe more. Alice?"

Alice nodded and turned to Carlisle and Edward. "We'll meet you outside of Bordeaux. Get going now."

Without another word, we were running, giving a wide birth to the Volturi guard by swimming around the southern part of the island. I wasn't as strong as the others and Edward had to double back when I would lag behind a few times until he finally swam at my pace.

Frustrated that I was holding everyone back after yet another move that was my fault, I stopped swimming, which caused everyone to stop as well. Edward looked at my face and sighed, calling to the others to continue on. "Bella."

"You'd be better off without me. All I do is cause pain and trouble for our family."

Edward pulled me to him and hugged me to his chest. "I would not be better off without you. We have all had our moments where the family has had to sacrifice for them. Rosalie attacked the men who raped and nearly killed her; Emmett and Jasper have slipped in broad daylight, Jasper more than any of us due to his history. Carlisle's appearance means we have to move more often because he can't be believed as someone in their mid-thirties. The Volturi would have eventually found out about you and called us. It is as much about the size of our family as it is anything to do you. Aro has been waiting for the time he could bring Carlisle back into his company and when he meets Alice, Jasper, you, and I, he will want it all the more. I mouthed off and that's why Jane started her attack. Please, don't blame yourself."

I let out a deep breath and looked up at him. "I can't even keep up with you as we swim. It's a perfect metaphor, you have to slow down for me; you can't enjoy yourself."

I felt his thumb run across my cheek and then over my lips. "I'd rather tread water with you by me side than move at top speeds alone. You are what makes it all worth it."

I relaxed as he kissed me and then swung me onto his back as he swam, his powerful muscles rippling under my body, driving me wild. We caught the boys and Rosalie and were soon moving through the water at top speeds. It was dawn when we made it clear of England. We swam further south to avoid being seen and played out in the deep surf until night when we could swim to shore unnoticed.

We ran through part of the night until Carlisle stumbled upon a cluster of rental cottages and went inside the office to make inquiries. It wasn't long before he came out of the office with a bright smile and two keys. "I was able to get us two cottages, a larger one for us and a one-bedroom cottage for you two."

Carlisle handed Edward the key and I was swept up in his arms before I could say a word. It was a matter of seconds, it felt like, that Edward was unlocking the cottage door and pulling me inside.

His kisses were ferocious and I was frightened by how forceful and strong he was being. There was something different from the last time, something that I couldn't place but felt nagging at me just the same. Clothes were shredded and all that was left was slightly damp marble skin sliding against marble skin. I knew we were close to giving into the sensations and becoming one, but in the moment our eyes met I froze, seeing in Edward's eyes what the feeling I couldn't place was. "Stop saying good-bye."

Edward stilled above me and his eyes confirmed what I had seen. "How did you…your power?"

"You are essential to my survival. If you provoke them then it will be both of us perishing. Please, Carlisle and Jasper believe that they will let us go when we decide not to join them…why can't you believe that?"

Edward sighed, his forehead finding mine as he chose his words. "Bella, Aro is a collector, and we are a very gifted family. Just promise me that, no matter what happens, you refuse him, because that way of life will destroy us over time…worse than if it happens in a flash of pain and flame."

"I swear not to agree to join them if you promise not to act rash."

"You are cunning, my love, but I can refuse you nothing, so I will agree to your demand."

I giggled as he leaned in, brushing his nose along my cheek and down the column of my neck before he buried his face in my chest, lapping at it like the cure for our desperation lie in my bosom.

When I felt him gliding along my thigh, I picked up his head and smiled as I dipped down, finding him and finally making us one again. Unlike the intensity of our first time in the water, the angst had been wished away and we moved slowly, lovingly, making love on a higher plane of existence than mere mortals could. It wasn't until the sun rose that we even noticed how long it had been, or lust-filled need bringing with it a marathon session the likes of which I had only heard of in the last few weeks, but never experienced.

There weren't words for the connection I felt to Edward, every molecule, every emotion, every thought and desire, hope, fear…it was all residing with him; and from the way he looked at me, it was the same for him.

Not knowing when another opportunity like this would arise, we took every opportunity, and every surface durable to withstand our actions and put it to good use until Edward groaned and slowed his movements in the amplified post-coital glow of so many completions.

"Alice is coming with clothes for us. She did a little shopping; we're going to look ridiculous."

"We're going to look fabulous!" I heard her say through a tinkling laugh as she and Esme ran to meet the others. Getting dressed in jeans and a fitted tee, I didn't see the problem, until Edward informed me that we would be changing before we arrived in Volterra.

Running to the larger cottage, we spoke about our planned route and then took off, as we were now a day and a half into our 3 days of travel time. The run was long and I wasn't sure when or where we would be stopping to hunt, but I was assured that we would be full upon our arrival.

Traveling through France and then crossing the border to Italy, I was surprised by how many places I had seen in my time with the Cullen's. Before them, I hadn't even left the western half of the US. A slight pang of loss for my parents flitted in my chest as we traveled through the night and decided that the countryside outside of Torino would be a good place to hunt. Emmett was excited to see a brown bear but the rest of the family wanted to see me take down a wolf, which would sate me far better than the foxes of Ireland had done.

I felt like I was putting down someone's pet, but the calm that came from a truly satisfying meal overtook the guilt. Edward's eyes twinkled as he watched me rise up and declare myself full leaving us only with the task of changing into our clothes for the meeting and then finishing the final miles of the journey.

Coming out from behind the trees I nearly laughed at our appearance. Alice had all the men in gray slacks and us girls in gray skirts, with each couple in their own color for the tops. Esme and Carlisle wore a regal-looking purple, Alice and Jasper a deep green, Rosalie and Emmett were in black and Edward and I wore a deep blue. It hadn't escaped me that there was no red in our palette, and I assumed it was a purposeful choice.

We made the last leg of our journey in ease, walking up the large hill leading to the city of Volterra. Edward's hand held mine tighter the closer we got to the high walls of the city. I squeezed his hand and smiled at him, happy to have his reaction be so warm.

Alice had seen us being led through an elaborate maze underground that started in an alley just to the side of the clock tower, so we went there and waited to be collected. It didn't take long. Demetri and Felix arrived, followed shortly by Jane, who directed us through a grate that would eventually lead to the throne room.

It was a maze of uneven halls and ever-darkening corridors until finally it opened up into what looked like a posh doctor's office. A beautiful woman stood a greeted us, her green eyes startling me before Edward rubbed the back of my hand and pulled me forward.

We walked through a large set of doors and down one final corridor until we stood in front of another heavy wooden door. I took a deep breath as they opened, Jane walking in before us and up to three men in black cloaks, with dark suits partially visible beneath them. One approached her, taking her hand as a bright smile that didn't fit the meeting at all, crept up. "Jane, my child. You have brought my dear friend and his family home to us." He looked up and addressed us for the first time as a group. "Carlisle, it is so good to see you after all this time, it seems you have made quite a life for yourself. Such a talented group of companions."

Carlisle bristled slightly at the comment of the man that I assumed to be Aro, his dark hair setting him apart from his counterparts. "My children are very talented, but I chose them for who they are, unaware of what they would bring with them from their humanity."

Aro stepped closer and Carlisle moved to meet him, all the members of the guard shifting into predatory stances before Aro's raised hand stopped them. "He is our friend; he will not bring harm to us. It is all right."

Aro's eyes moved to Alice and Edward, who were flanking me, but Carlisle took Aro's hand, freezing him as his head bowed and his eyes closed. They were both motionless for a long while and I began to worry for him when they broke apart, his eyes landing on me. "Spectacular! May I?" He looked to Carlisle, but it was clear that it wasn't a question truly meant for him.

"My daughter has her own mind with which to make decisions, ask her if you can test her power."

"No!" Edward's voice rang out, something latent in Aro's mind setting him off.

"It is a blessing to see from a distance, but I would like to try and see if she will confound me as she does so many of us."

I squeezed Edward's hand and then dropped it, letting him take only a few steps with me before taking the last two steps to Carlisle alone. I extended my hand in greeting and he clasped onto it. The concentration was obvious but so was his disappointment, he saw nothing.

"A little wonder. And you sense when survival is a likely outcome and how to achieve it, or so it appears from the ideas of others, you even sensed us coming?"

"I did, but the full knowledge of how effective my power will be is still unknown."

Aro grinned and brushed his finger across my cheek and under my chin, earning a growl from Edward and Emmett. "You are modest, sweet Bella. However, if you wish to know just how powerful you shall become, then we are the best to assist you. You all are welcome to join us, and fine are the treasures you will add to our number. Please say you will stay with us?"

"No. We have come to meet with you and prove we mean no harm to your coven or our collective way of life, but we will not be staying, our lives are on a different path." Carlisle spoke with a quiet authority, still diplomatic, but never the less, he was done with this discussion.

I felt it before anything else occurred, but I knew that something had changed, our very survival was now in jeopardy. "Carlisle, I think it best if we depart now," I spoke to my father in all ways that mattered now, before turning to Aro. "Thank you for your generous offer, but it is time we returned home."

"But we are about to feast, please, stay for the meal." One of the other leaders, a sinister looking soul who fit in most closely to the vampire lure I knew before this life.

Carlisle stood in front of us, his most protective stance yet, as he answered. "We will not partake in the feast, Caius, as you know our diet is different from yours-"

"But, young Isabella, surely she will take the opportunity, what with her allergy making it so hard on her." Aro smiled grimly at me, but I straightened my shoulders and looked to Alice who stepped forward to stand beside me.

I heard Edward sigh, a sign that he saw my decision and was not pleased, but chose not to fight in front of mixed company. "Carlisle, we are leaving now, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like a moment with Aro. Alice will stay with me."

Carlisle nodded and the room emptied, save the Italians and us. "Aro, I do not appreciate the attempt to use my supposed weakness against my family. It only affirms why we could never truly fit here. I am too young to this life; my humanity is still something living in my silent heart, so the slaying of others is difficult to be a part of, though I do not begrudge your ability to cope. We respectfully decline your offers and bid you good day."

As we turned to leave, Aro lunged forward and grasped Alice's arm for little more than a minute, but it was all it took. She pulled free defensively and we walked briskly out of the rotunda. "Good day, my beauties, we will meet again." Aro called as we walked through the doors and headed back to the lobby, this time taking the elevator as the sun had now nearly set.

Once we were clear of the city, Alice turned to face the family. "He's seen what we knew and what I have seen, all the places we thought about, the only person who will be able to choose where we go now is the person who has none of our knowledge, and was not part of any previous discussion. The decision is yours Bella, where do we go from here?"


	7. Out of Sight

Thank you as always to my beta Mizzdee for making this pretty and putting up with my insanity...you ask the questions that make me a better writer love. Thank you! Also, big love to my WC gals and all of you, my readers. My resolution this year isn't to lose weight, or curse less, but to work hard on completing some of my WIP's and get these bunnies in my head out in the world and so far I've been better at getting to work on these fics so I'm hoping to keep it up!

**Once again, please check out the contest I'm co-hosting with Rosalynn, the Share Your Inspiration Anon O/S Contest …the dates have been extended and entries are now being accepted thru 1/14/11. Here's the profile page: **http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2580394/

Chapter 7 – Out of Sight

**BPOV**

"Me? But I don't know where we can move. I don't know where you have friends, or enemies. Where you can't go or where you might like to. Please, don't put our fate in my hands." I was shaking my head and backing away from the group where they stood around me, when Edward grasped my shoulders.

"Bella, you don't have to do this alone. We had only just begun planning, so not that many places were discussed. We cannot go to Ireland or England, because of how easily we were found last time, and the Western half of the US is out because we don't want to bring them near your family. The Southeast is out because of your mother and we lived in New Hampshire several times, so we can't go back there."

Alice picked up where he had paused, ruling out places. "The South is off as is Mexico because they know Jasper's history now and we don't want them to claim we were dredging up that blood feud. The Mediterranean is too close for comfort and Antarctica won't have enough carnivores for Bella."

This time, it was Carlisle who mused about our possibilities. "We had been discussing how we didn't want to be near friends, because we didn't want to pull them in the middle of it, but maybe that's the best bet, go somewhere near friends and pick somewhere that they wouldn't expect."

"That's brilliant!" Edward practically cheered as I turned to face him.

"What is? Where are we going?" I asked, thoroughly confused now.

"South America, but more specifically, the Amazon."

"Nice, panthers and anacondas! Hey Bella, think you can handle a snake that big?" Emmett's innuendo had me covering my face before I could realize that I wouldn't give myself away with a blush, something I still forgot at moments.

"Can we just go? This place makes me uneasy." Rosalie was eyeing the high walls of the city with nervous eyes so we took off.

Soon Alice and Rosalie went running in a different direction and I looked at Edward who took my hand as we slowed down in the countryside. "Our need to fly is giving Alice an opportunity to shop. She and Rosalie are buying us clothes for our new home and hunting on the way home. Carlisle will buy our tickets when we get to the airport. Now, what we need to do is hunt."

Running off with the boys and Esme, they all worked on the random animals that were roaming the hills, leaving the two mountain lions we came across for me. As I drank from the second lion, I could feel Edward's eyes on me. I stood to find him sitting a few yards away. "What's the matter?"

I was in his arms a few seconds later and he was rocking us a little too fast to be soothing. "I will make you safe again. I'm just sorry that we can't have a bit of normalcy."

I leaned back and cupped his face, holding it close to my own. "Normal is overrated; I'd rather be with you."

"We should get going." Carlisle spoke from lower down the hill and we went to meet them and continue to the airport.

It wasn't long before we stood waiting for Carlisle to get the tickets, Alice and Rosalie were due to be here within the hour and there was a slight tension as Jasper worried about Alice. "Jasper, quit it, will you. You're making me crazy! They'll be fine; okay…they have to be." The last part of Emmett's rant was whispered, but it was heard nonetheless.

Alice's laugh was the first thing that caught our attention as the car pulled into the spot.

"What are you laughing about?" Edward shot Alice a look and she just winked and then skipped over to Jasper.

"We should get in the line for security; we have a few stops to make still."

The security line was a terror as I leaned into Edward, the smell rolling off the people around us hitting me harder, as in the recesses of my mind, the survival instincts were still there after Italy. All the while Edward held me as if we were a regular couple, burying my face into his chest so that his scent overpowered the others.

The plane from Italy to Paris was the hardest, like the further we were from Volterra, the easier it was to breathe and think. I stayed in the cocoon of Edward's arms through the flight from Paris to Spain and by the time we were landing in Lima, I felt strong enough to breathe in the fresh air.

Edward and I went straight outside, leaving the rest of the family to get the luggage as we stood a little bit to the side, both of us taking deep breaths of the air that tasted of dirt and rain, so unlike that of the other places we've called home. It wasn't until Edward called to Jasper that I realized we had company.

"Jasper, can I ask you a question?" Edward's voice was a little sharp, but nothing like the last confrontation after we flew from Denali.

"Of course, what is on your mind?" Jasper seemed easy about the talk, which led me to believe he came out here on Alice's recommendation.

"Why did you let Bella and I sit together, when last time you were so adamant about being the one between her and the other passengers?"

"She is not the same vampire she was back then. She's lived close to humans and unfortunately has tasted their blood. That I felt was the strongest reason for allowing her to sit with you."

Confused by his comment, I interjected. "Why would that make it safer for me to be with Edward?"

"You felt extreme guilt, which is tied into two things, your value for living things, be they human or animal, and your love for Edward. The guilt you felt was as much at letting him down, as it was for the act itself. You were afraid he would see you different, love you less for a transgression we've all made, save Carlisle and Rosalie. You kept his scent with you that first time so that he was with you without being beside you, but your survival instinct is so tied to him, that there would be no one better to stop you. And it would have been far less of a scene if someone had to."

Edward began kissing down my forehead and cheek to my neck, while I smiled and thanked Jasper, who turned to return to the rest of our family. "My survival is tied to yours as well. I could never go on if I lost you."

I reached up and cupped his cheeks. "You won't ever have to try."

We were still wrapped around each other when the family came out with our luggage; Alice had found some new brand of stain resistant fabric that would last us longer out here, until we were able to do something about the situation. She wasn't too thrilled about the possibility of a tree house or a cave, but we had to stay hidden away. I felt bad that I was causing Alice discomfort, but no one else, including my sister, would let me wallow in it. We took the airport shuttle to a hotel that was on the outskirts of the city and entered the dense rainforest that covered nearly half the country, trying to find something that looked right.

I had no idea what they were looking for, but I knew that we'd find it eventually. The cover of the tall trees reminded me a little of Forks, completely blocking out the sun and leaving us with no way to tell night from day. I was surprised when I looked at my watch to see we'd been running nearly eleven hours, criss-crossing the jungle, looking for the place we would call home.

As we ran, I began to feel a tug. It was faint at first, but I knew better than to run. Whatever or whoever it was, they knew this place better than we did. "Stop, someone's coming." I whispered and was soon surrounded by my family.

Edward's hand found my cheek as he sought out the fear in my eyes. "Bella?"

Instantly, I saw nothing but the forest, Edward vanishing from before me as the rain forest burned. I called out for him, heard my family calling to one another, but with every step, the fire inched closer and only one thought entered my mind, fire was part of the ritual to destroy a vampire. Staying still was our best chance. "Everyone, be still!" I yelled to my family, and then directing my attention to our unseen attackers, I called out. "We mean you no harm, we are simply seeking shelter."

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the fire was gone and I saw my family spread throughout the wood, three women of unearthly height, with long limbs and faces, and burgundy eyes set deep within them looking back at me. "Bella!" Edward called and I moved to him before the tallest of the women stood between us, another behind him ready to strike, the third poised to attack Emmett if it turned to a fight.

"Edward, what do you hear?"

He took a deep breath and then answered me. "Its chaos, everyone is worried but you and two others, but this image is so real, how can you be here if I cannot see you?"

"It is an illusion." The women before me spoke; her voice held an odd quality and the words were heavily accented, as if it had been decades since it needed to speak English.

"Please, give them back their sight. We have already been through enough turmoil; we are out to find peace."

"The Volturi are not a kind we wish to see here." The second spoke, turning her attention from Emmett.

"And we don't want to bring them here. We have ways of knowing when they may come, we promise to leave here long before they reach these shores. Is there any place that we may be able to stay? Further from you, if it would make you feel easier?"

The three conferred before the one before me blinked and my family shook the vision from their faces. "My name is Zafrina. These are my sisters, Senna and Kachiri. You are a rather large group of nomads?"

"We have only recently needed to be." Carlisle spoke as he walked to my side. "My daughter is telling the truth though, we mean no ill will. My name is Carlisle; this is my wife Esme and our children, Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett." Carlisle gestured to each of us as he introduced us to them.

Zafrina's eyes were still boring into mine, but the feeling of anxiety was gone, they would cause us no harm. "There is a place, a few hours from here, we will show you it and for now we will set no boundaries. I believe there is enough food for all."

"We are not like you in our feeding habits, so there will be no conflict there." Carlisle smiled as Zafrina hinted towards the East.

Edward was by my side as soon as we took off on our run. "You were amazing, my love. How did you know who to address when you spoke?"

"At first I didn't, but once I could see them, it made it easier."

I saw the look from Zafrina, but she didn't say anything as we continued. "You were able to see them?"

"We'll talk about it later. I can't explain it now." I kept my eyes on Zafrina after that, but she never faltered. It wasn't until we entered a particularly dense section of the rainforest that their pace changed.

The Amazonian Coven stopped and it was Senna who began speaking. "At one time this was a village, but as the natives became wary of our kind, they moved out of the rainforest in what started the smallest hamlets, leaving their huts behind. They are small, but it should be enough for all of you to live."

Carlisle and Esme walked into the clearing in the center of the forest and then turned to our guides. "Thank you, this will do fine."

"We will give you your space, but if you need anything, we are around." Zafrina spoke with a nod before they vanished.

"Did any of you gain your sight back before the end?" Edward asked our family as they all shook their head.

"Zafrina knows something about it, but I can't see it right now." Alice smiled as she passed me some bags. "You guys can take the one furthest from the opening of the clearing."

It was then that we all broke off into our different pairs, Edward leading me into our hut and sat our bags down. "Alice will have some type of dresser constructed within two days."

"Edward." I looked at him and he sat on the floor, grumbling.

"I don't understand it. You were the only one who wasn't defenseless. Now granted, we were lucky that they weren't confrontational, but it's the second time you've stood between us and disaster and I hate that."

Sitting in front of him, I took his hands in mine. "If I can stand between this family and destruction, then I will. I don't want to see harm come to any of you."

The words had barely left my mouth and Edward was up and pacing, irate at something, though I had no idea what that something was. "It isn't your job! Bella, I know you don't understand this because of the world you grew up in, but in my time, it was a man's responsibility to protect his family, his soul mate. It terrifies me that you're going toe to toe with Jane and facing unknown nomads because of whatever mental block that keeps me from your thoughts. You are mine to defend and every instance where you're the one standing alone facing down the proverbial barrel of a gun, I feel like less of a man for it."

His words hit me as hard as if he'd slapped me in the face; his anger at my self-sufficiency was too much to deal with in the confines of our hut. I sprinted out of the clearing and into the jungle, just needing to put some distance between us before I said something that might break us both. Not caring where I was running, I pushed myself until I sensed the person approaching and turned, my teeth bared as I crouched in defense of myself.

What I saw was Zafrina, her hands raised in surrender. "You're angry, that's good."

"What are you talking about?"

"Powers like yours work with extreme emotion; fear, anger, they all serve to give it strength, it's how you stand alone."

I stood and looked at her curiously, "You've seen a power like mine before?"

"Once. If you'd like I could help train you."

There was none of the anxiety that I felt when under attack, but I wasn't sure why she would be willing to help me. "Not that I'm not grateful, but you weren't sure you could trust us when we met you."

Zafrina smiled and stepped closer, albeit cautiously. "There is a time for everyone and a purpose for all. Your encounter with the Volturi was not the last of it and your arrival here after that meeting was not chance. If aiding you in the development of your powers is the part I was destined to play, then I will do it to the best of my ability. Now, remember what it is that has you this angry, but let it go. Push it from your mind."

As I worked to clear out all the anger and hurt, the image of a desert filled my mind, a vast wasteland as far as the eye could see. It was so vivid, that if I couldn't feel the rain gently falling on my skin, I would have almost believed it.

"Remember the anger, Bella." Thinking back to Edward's words, I blew out my breath in a huff and felt the image tremble slightly. Dredging up more of the fight, I shut my eyes tightly and fought against the image. "Push it with your mind's eye. Force the image back."

Working to push the image back, I was able to do it for a brief moment before it snapped back like a rubber band. "I can't do it!"

"You just did. That was excellent. Do you need to feed, or rest? Maybe we can meet again-"

I shook my head and stood firmer. "No. We'll keep going, I'll feed in a little while, but I want to get better at this."

"Very well."

The words were spoken and I was surrounded by the illusion of an inferno. Pushing at it, all the vision ever did was shimmer until I imagined Jane torturing Edward, his body writhing at my feet, that I was able to move it solidly, revealing the rainforest to me again before it recoiled on me.

**EPOV**

Two days.

It had been two days and I was tired of their games and promises. I had to go get her. I had to see her safe with my own eyes and not one of Alice's visions. "Emmett, get off me."

I tried to move out from under Emmett, who had been sitting on my back since soon after Bella left, all at Alice's demand. Jasper had been livid at me for not only what I said, but also the emotional state I put Bella in as she charged out into the unknown. He was going to go after her himself until Alice stopped him and told the family that Bella was fine and would return in her own time.

The last two days were filled with a loop of our fight, the dismissive way I had spoken to and about her, the look of shocked hurt on her face as she left and the emptiness that took her place. She wouldn't stay gone this long, not even if she hated me. She would have come back to tell me her decision to leave my chauvinistic ass behind.

She couldn't leave me. She couldn't…

"Edward, I'm going to punch you if you don't quit it," Jasper's snarl caught my attention for a second before the wind changed. That got me fighting again.

"Emmett, she's back, let me up!"

"No way, she may want to get in a few shots in first."

When she walked through the last of the overgrowth that hid our clearing from the world, she looked magnificent. "Why is Emmett sitting on Edward?"

"Just giving him a little perspective." Emmett smirked but then got off me when Bella gestured for him to release me.

I went to cross to her but she put up her hand. "Edward, I am an equal in this family, just like Rosalie, Esme and Alice, and if you _ever_ try to make me feel bad for using my power to protect us just like the rest of you do, I may just rip off one of your arms and beat you with it." Bella looked behind her again and Zafrina entered the edge of our clearing. "I don't want you to worry, so stay still."

The jungle was gone and replaced with a snowy mountain. It was still unsettling to lose my vision like this, but knowing Bella trusted Zafrina like this was enough to keep me calm for the moment. I heard a gasp before the image wavered and then my sight was restored. I looked at Bella who had a very pensive look on her face as different members of our family shook off the fog of the illusion and gawked at Bella. When the last of us were free of the vision Bella blinked violently and the image zoomed past us again for only a brief second.

"Bella, how in the world did you…" Carlisle began before she smiled and answered his hanging question.

"It's where I've been the past two days. Working with Zafrina on my power, learning what it feels like to push my shield forward so that I don't need her with me to continue working on it. It hasn't been much time, but I can hold it for a few minutes, enough to give us an advantage in battle. Once you're inside it, none of their mental powers can work, Alec…Jane, they're all powerless."

The roar of my family as they swept in on her was tremendous, but soon she was sending them off to hunt, something she knew they hadn't done since she left, which meant that Italy was the last time we had fed. As they left, Zafrina with them, she turned briefly and approached with a panther in her arms. "I killed it on the way here, I know you need to feed, but we need to talk."

Even with the peace offering, those words, 'we need to talk' had me terrified. This was it.

The panther dropped a foot from me and Bella's hands were on my face. "Edward, what's wrong? You're shaking."

"You're leaving me."

"What? No! Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry I was gone so long. I couldn't tell that days were passing; I thought it was hours. I know you must have been terrified, but I promise you I was fine. And I learned so much about my power, the survival power seems to be rooted in my mind, which is why it's protected by the shield. But I have a very strong one; it lets me expand itself to those people who are near me."

"Bella, I'd never want you to put yourself in jeopardy to-"

She dropped her hands from me and started pacing. "Edward! I'm going to be an active part of this. I'm going to defend our family as hard as any of you."

I caught her elbow and turned her to face me. "Bella, I'm not asking you to not fight with us, not anymore…I'm simply asking you to put yourself first. You're what he wants, and he will kill each one of us to get you to the point where he'll have you. Please, promise me that you won't join him to save my life."

"It won't come to that. But if you promise not to antagonize them, I'll promise not to sacrifice myself for you. Okay?"

"Fine." I went to kiss Bella, but she pulled back.

"Good, now eat." She ran back to the panther and carried him to me. Rolling my eyes at her, I drank the beast quickly and then proceeded to show what my two days of torture had taught me.

"Come with me." Leading her into the woods beyond our clearing, I found a particularly large tree and shoved her back against it. "You have no idea what the last two days were like. The fear, the self-loathing-"

"Edward-" she tried to stop me but I cut her off with a growl.

"No, you need to hear this. I thought that was it and all I could think about was how cruel I was," I ran my hands from her hips, up her sides to her breasts and back down as I continued, "the look of pain on your face, it _killed_ me. In that moment I knew I would never disregard you again, you're my world and I have to accept that you're capable of fighting at my side."

My hand found her right hip again and I reached down to her knee and hitched it over my hip, thrusting forward, proving just how much I missed her. "I need you, Bella. I need to feel you."

"Feel me, Edward."

Those three words were the last coherent thought to be uttered as clothes were shredded and our bodies slammed together up against the tree. Pushing inside of her felt so right, it was almost painful. There was nothing sweet about this sex. It was primal, animalistic. Her nails clawed at my back as I gripped her upper thighs, my name little more than a gasp.

"You have…no idea…how often…I want you…like _this_!" I panted out the sentence, each few words punctuated with my thrusts. Bella's heel digging into my ass as she met me thrust for thrust.

"Me too, always."

Our pace quickened as we crashed together into the tree, the wood creaking and splintering behind us. The rain that had been lightly falling against us until this point also began pouring down on us. I was trying to keep my footing as my climax approached, but Bella's caught me off guard, and we fell into the mud. The fall did little to slow us down, as Bella pulled me closer. "Edward, that wasn't enough…I still feel like I have to have you."

Grinning like a freak, I started licking and kissing along the column of her neck. "Well, if I know Alice, we'll be alone until we're done."

"Can we try something?" Her quiet voice drew my attention from the attention I'd been paying to her neck.

"What did you have in mind?" The one thing I hadn't thought would have happened would have been her walking away from me, even if the view was perfection. She walked about ten feet away and then knelt down, dropping onto all fours and shooting me a half-shy, half-sultry look.

I didn't need her to say the words as my feet dug through the muck to get to her. My hands locked around her pelvis as Bella backed onto me. Filling her from this angle, it was so tight and she was rocking on her knees backwards as I slammed forward. The sound of our skin colliding was a soft screech as my hands slid up her sides, trying to gain purchase.

Needing more control , but not wanting to give up the feel of her, I quickly rolled back onto my ass, using my own knees to push Bella's apart and then planted my feet so I could slam into her. The staccato beat of the second round did nothing to shorten the duration, my right arm anchoring her waist while Bella took my left and used my hand to tease her left breast with her.

The surprise of her fingers hitting my cock as it entered her caught me for a tenth of a second before we both arched, the power of her orgasm once again taking me with her.

We stayed together in the mud for a while, the stars just starting to peek through the canopy as day turned to night.

My sigh turned Bella to face me, her eyes questioning my melancholy. "It's twilight, the end of another day, never changing any of us, though. I used to walk alone, watching my family happily mated, then you came slamming into my life and I claimed you, selfish as it was, I've never regretted it like I am at this moment. But not because of what I gained having you in my life, but because of what I've taken from you." I was hearing the words as I said them, annoyed that this wasn't even coming right. "I can't even do this correctly, but I can do it in the only way I know how." Clasping her face in my hands, I rested my forehead against hers and continued. "I love you, with every piece of me and I need you as an equal at my side; my lover, my friend…my wife. Isabella Swan, marry me?"

The blur of her rolling on top of me had me cackling as she attacked my mouth, crying tearless sobs as she shook her head and endlessly saying 'yes.'

Knowing my family would arrive back soon enough; we walked to the river and cleaned off, before I carried her back to our hut. It was there that I slipped my mother's ring on her third finger and watched begrudgingly as she dressed, urging me to do the same before we laid down on the grass inside our hut, cuddled together, just as we should be.


	8. A Moment of Bliss

I know it has been a while since I've updated anything, but I have been busy. I'm working on winding down my older stories, including this one, so that I can move on to newer ones. (With pre-written chapters so the wait won't be quite so long!) I've learned a lot with these older stories and want to be able to update better. This and _Friends in Love_ are my top priorities, and with this one only having another two chapters after this, they will wind down soon.

What I have posted recently were charity pieces and I wanted to let you know I'm participating in both Fandom for Sexual Assault Awareness and Fandom Fights the Tsunami. (go to my profile for the links)

Also, I've spent a lot of time and hard work on my own charity fundraiser, Finding Your Voice: Fandom Fights Mental Illness. findingyourvoice-ffmi(dot)blogspot(dot)com For more information or to donate for your copy of the compilation check out the site. Deadline for donations is 5/31.

Thanks for putting up with the long authors note. I wanted to let you know that even though I've been completely fail at review replies, I do read each one and love seeing your reactions. I just think, and many have agreed, you'd rather me spend my nights writing. Thanks for the understanding.

Tons of love to my beta, Mizzdee, the WC ladies and all of you for keeping with this baby!

Chapter 8 – A Moment of Bliss

**BPOV**

It's odd how happy Edward's proposal made me. We were vampires, mated and joined by the bond between us, but knowing his history, marriage was something from his past that meant eternity in its own way. He asked me to be his equal, knowing that I would hold him to it, and I was ecstatic. Though my excitement was nothing compared to that of Alice's.

She came squealing into the clearing when our family arrived, tackling me to the ground as she bombarded me with her plans. If it was up to me, we'd have done it right there, but Alice was nothing if not insistent, and the glimmer in Edward's eye as his sister talked about her ideas meant that I couldn't just do something on the spot, it would be planned, and soon.

I took advantage of her enthusiasm and agreed to go with her for a hunt, knowing it was as much about the wedding as it was feeding. We were a few miles out when something caught Alice's eye and she pointed into the distance. "We have to be quick. There are three of them. Snap their necks and I can drink them when it's done."

"Why can't we just-"

"We need all three of them, trust me."

With that, she took off and I followed her, not sure what was so important about these animals, until we reached them. The fur of these three deer were snow white, something I've never seen, but as they fell at our feet, I knew Alice's reason. "They would have died in a matter of weeks from one predator or another, but I couldn't pass up the color of their hides. Mother nature wasn't on their side."

She drank them and then Alice took her fingernail and very carefully skinned the animals. She was careful to keep the blood from the fur and soon we were washing the hides in the river before Alice scaled one of the trees so she could dry the hides in the sun above the canopy.

"What's the matter, Bella?" Alice asked as she returned to the forest floor.

"I was just thinking about Aro, he isn't going to give up easily."

"No. I can't see what's in the wind, but the moment he makes a decision, I'll know and so will everyone else. We can't dwell on it. It will likely be years before he makes a move."

I let my concern drop, because there wasn't anything causing a worry, just the idea that he was out there, biding his time until he could try and force our hands. After our hunt, we returned to see Edward busy in his planning.

"I have to go into the city to make some arrangements, but when I return, we'll be married. I'll see you in a few days, my love."

Edward kissed me, softly at first and then it grew into a passionate embrace that had me weak in the knees. He kissed my forehead briefly and then was gone. I watched the entrance of the clearing before Esme took my hand. "Come, we've got some plans to make too."

In reality there wasn't too much to plan. Carlisle would officiate, Jasper was giving me away and Emmett was Edward's best man. Alice was my matron of honor; Rosalie was making a harp out of natural supplies to play the music for the ceremony and Esme was going to be the crying mother of the groom.

The first day did pass quickly as we constructed the harp and Esme went in search of the perfect flowers, bringing Carlisle with her. They returned the following morning, with vines and flowers, picking a bright fuchsia and purple pair for the bouquet and a single one for my hair as Alice left that afternoon to retrieve the hides for my dress.

That afternoon was spent making my dress, the clearing decorated and everything else in place, all that was missing was the groom. After playing with the hides for a while, Alice finally decided that a simple dress was best. The hides were small because of the size of the fawns so the strapless dress had an empire waist and hugged my body until it stopped a few inches above my knee. It was a dress that could only work for a rainforest wedding, but it was beautiful and I loved it. Alice had cannibalized a dress she'd brought with us for a zipper so I could get in and out of it, but she was happy with the end result and I knew Edward would love it for a completely different reason.

The following morning, Alice came to retrieve me so I could prepare for the ceremony. Edward was on his way and in a few hours he would be here. I washed my hair in the stream and then went for a run with Emmett, the wind drying my hair as we explored, both of us taking the time to hunt as carefully as we could so we wouldn't return muddy and incur the wrath of Alice.

When we returned to the clearing Alice and Rosalie brought me into Esme and Carlisle's hut and brushed my hair, leaving it down with a single fuchsia flower tucked behind my right ear. I put on my dress and then heard the knock on side of the hut. "Can I come in?"

"Of course, Esme," she entered, gasping at the sight of me.

"It's a good thing he's almost ready, because if he saw my thoughts he'd be in this hut in an instant."

"Thanks Esme. It's hard enough to stay away from her after the past few days without your teasing," Edward called from nearby, bringing a smile to my face immediately.

"Jasper will be in to get you in a few moments. You're a vision my dear." With that, my sisters and mother in this life left me alone as I prepared myself for what was about to happen. Not that I wasn't ready, the opposite really, I just needed something to keep me from bolting across the clearing to him, but I assumed that's why Jasper was giving me away.

"Knock, knock." Jasper poked his head in and I smiled. Aside from Alice, Jasper was my closest friend and the one who understood my issues with my allergy. It felt right to have him anchoring me today too.

"You ready for me?"

"I are," he held out his left hand and I took it, stepping out through the vines that acted as a door where he wrapped my left arm around his right and held my hand there. "You look like an angel, Bella. Edward's a lucky man."

I looked up to see Edward across the clearing, his eyes dark and his feet faltering for a minute before Emmett placed a hand on his shoulder, a sign that he would tackle him if need be. Tearing my eyes from his face, I saw the white shirt and tan linen pants he was wearing. He was barefoot, just like I was, but there was nothing more beautiful than him in this moment.

Jasper and I kept pace with the music Rosalie was playing, it sounded like a song I knew, but was so embellished because of the speed with which she could play it that it became something completely new. My eyes travelled around the clearing at the flowers Esme had found for the ceremony, before they fell on Edward again. He looked so happy, he actually looked younger than he had in the entire time I knew him and that's when it hit me. This is the man I love, when there isn't an ax hanging over us, and when we are free of the fear, this is the man who will be my forever. That thought kept me smiling as Jasper passed me off to him, my bouquet given to Alice as our hands held each other and we stepped before Carlisle.

"Family, and new friends, we are gathered here today to join our own Bella and Edward in holy matrimony. They've already chosen their future, but wish to cement their choice with a tradition that goes back to the beginning of time. The joining of vampires through the bonds of mating is one of the most sacred things our kind has, and the vows of marriage are the closest humans can come to the level of love and commitment offered to each other. Edward and Bella have chosen to write their own vows, so I will turn the floor over to Edward first."

Edward's eyes shimmered as he began to speak. "Bella, vampires by nature are unmoving. We're unchanged by time, by climate, our bodies and personalities are cemented at the time of our transformation, save one thing. Our mate. They are the only thing that has the power to effect a change in living stone. You brought that change about in me. You make me stronger, braver, you push me and challenge me and most of all you've brought love into my life. You've awakened things in me I never imagined and I will spend every day until the end of time beside you. My equal, my love, my life."

His beautiful words had me trembling with joy. I'd never felt anything like it but I was able to use it for my own vows. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the shield, tight around my mind. With the image in place, pushed it away until Edward should be able to hear me and then I started to think my vows. "Edward, when I moved to Forks, I thought I knew exactly what to expect. I was giving my mom a chance to be a newlywed, I was reconnecting with Charlie, and I was getting a chance to start again. And then you entered my life. Your presence has been like an eclipse on what I thought I wanted, blocking out the norm, and revealing all these unimaginable possibilities. I've lost things, but what I've gained is so much more precious. I have a family that pitches in and jokes around and can be depended upon, something I never really knew before. I want to spend the rest of eternity showing you what being impulsive can give you. Because if you hadn't acted when you did, we wouldn't be here. And here is exactly where I want to be."

I nodded and Carlisle continued on with an abbreviated version of the closing of the ceremony, Edward's lips on mine before Carlisle could pronounce us man and wife. "I heard you!" He growled in a low whisper.

"It's harder to push the shield away so that it isn't protecting me, but I can manage for a moment or two."

He kissed me again and I wrapped my arms around his neck, giving into the emotion of the moment. Alice's not so subtle toe tapping eventually brought us out of the kiss and she was pulling me into the hut. "Put on these shorts and halter top outfit and the flip flops over there. The rest of the bag you are taking with you. Oh and give me your dress."

I watched as she packed the dress into my suitcase and soon Edward had his own bag, and we were saying out good-byes before taking off as we ran through the forest. Upon arriving in town we made a detour to a hotel where Edward grabbed another suitcase and then checked out of the room he'd rented and hailed us a cab to the airport.

Carlisle and Esme had told me that I'd love our honeymoon, but no one gave me any indication of where it was. I was all too familiar with flying as a vampire, so I cuddled with Edward as he whispered to me about how happy he was to be my husband and how proud he was of my restraint. He assured me that wherever we were going, there would be enough food and that I'd absolutely be blown away.

Landing in Rio, we were quickly in a car on our way out of town. It wasn't until I saw the water and all of the large boats at the marina that I realized that we may be spending the time out to sea, something I'd never done before.

"Which boat is ours?" I asked in excitement.

"That speed boat at the end, it will take us where we're headed well enough," Edward winked as he helped me aboard and then carried our bags.

"So there is a location, we're not living on the boat itself?"

"Stop fishing, wife, we'll be there soon enough."

"Very well, husband." I laughed as he started the boat up, yet another of his infinite talents.

The ride wasn't long, but with Edward driving it didn't leave me with many things to do that wouldn't lead to a destroyed boat and us needing to swim to our final destination.

**EPOV**

I pulled up to the dock and it took all my strength to hold on until we were in the house. Bella sat on the bench at the back of the boat, lifting her shield and bombarding me with images of us and thoughts of love. It was hard to see how she saw me, the unconditional, undying love and devotion felt wrong, like it was undeserved. She was too beautiful, too perfect to be true. Yet here she was, sending me very dirty thoughts for a moment or two before her shield recoiled. A part of me thinks that she sat that far away so we wouldn't destroy the boat before we arrived to the island.

Bella's hand on my shoulder shook me from my thoughts and had a rumble echoing through my chest. "Are we spending the night on the boat? Because if so, I hope you have a plan for how we're returning to Rio."

Picking up our bags in one hand, I lifted her to my chest and set foot on the deck. Walking with her by my side to the house, I sat down our bags and then carried her over the threshold, my lips finding hers as we crossed into the house. I brought her into the bedroom, not moving my mouth from hers until she pulled back. "You better get our bags before they spend the next week out on the porch."

I laughed, sitting her on the bed and running to fetch our things. When I returned to the room, Bella was leaning against the headboard, naked. I felt myself grow hard for my wife, _my wife,_ and took off my own clothes as her smirk grew. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, Bella?"

"I was just thinking about something Emmett-"

"Please don't bring up my brother when we're both naked, in a bedroom, miles away from anyone."

Bella giggled and continued on as if I hadn't spoken. "Emmett told me about newly mated couples and how once they are fully mated that the need for closeness, for intimacy was insatiable and we've been so bogged down with everything that's been happening that we weren't able to give into our baser needs. We've had sex in the ocean, against a tree, in the mud, in the grass and on the floor of our hut. But we've never made love in bed. Would you be opposed to changing that?"

Without taking my eyes off of her, I climbed onto the bed and pulled on her ankle, bringing her under me as I continued to crawl over her, allowing me to cover her with my body. "Well, Mrs. Cullen, I intend to have you on every surface on this island, so that list of yours will have quite a few additions to it."

Bella's hands slid around my hips and down to my ass, squeezing it and pulling me closer. "Edward, please, I'm going to explode!"

My lips curled up as I rested my weight on my left arm and used my free hand to caress her side. "We can't have that," I whispered as I sank into her.

I took my time with her, adoring her with my every move and touch. Time lost all meaning as we pushed to the edge of ecstasy only to let it recede again, prolonging our first time as man and wife as long as we could.

When it was finally too much for us, we hurried our pace until our screams sent every bird on our side of the island fleeing their nests.

I rolled to the side to hold her against me as my fingers traced her back. "You know, I almost had you on a bed once, the night I turned you."

"Edward, you don't have to-" she started, but I wasn't going to discuss my choices that night, at least, not as she anticipated I would.

"I saw you shift on the bed and the sheet fell just enough to expose you to me. In all the years I've been alive, all the thoughts I've heard and images I've picked out of peoples' heads, that image of you was the sexiest thing I had ever seen." I remembered back to that night, "I was driven by a desire I'd never imagined before that night…every move, every _noise_…you drove me to distraction and it was in that moment that I bit you. Then I realized what I'd done and I stole you away, as much for myself as for your own benefit. I'm alive with you, Bella, and after feeling dead inside for so long I refuse to go back to that feeling."

"You won't ever have to," she whispered, her hand cupping my cheek. "I'm right here, forever."

Forever.

We clung to each other as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. If it weren't for the sun and moon, I'm not sure if we'd have any concept of time while we were here. Our time was marked with the breathtaking things we saw, and the additions to Bella's running tab of surfaces we fornicated on. There was a particularly humorous afternoon when our honeymooning destroyed the dock, but after Bella's laughter ended, we rebuilt it and decided that we should stick to surfaces that were more durable.

It was one evening just before sunset that I took her to the waterfall, hoping to just enjoy ourselves. With Bella sitting on the ledge at the side of the waterfall, the water splashing her as it cascaded down the rocks; I climbed to the top and got her attention before jumping off.

I was showing off, but it was hard not to when all I wanted to do was impress her. I sliced through the water and popped up, but she wasn't on the ledge I'd last seen her basking on, now she was at the peak of the waterfall.

She dove off and her body twisted, catching the light before she reached the water, where she vanished beneath the surface without so much as a ripple that I noticed. She was beautiful and perfect and mine.

I swam to where she would likely surface and as soon as she reappeared I was hauling her over to where she had been lounging earlier, my need for her once again consuming me.

"You are so beautiful, too beautiful to be covered up." My words were met with the tearing of wet fabric as we both tore at the barriers between us.

I was inside her as soon as the last piece fell away, the waterfall pounding onto my back as I slammed into her. The water created a bubble around us as it cascaded off my hard skin, locking us away from everything that didn't matter in this moment.

Bella's legs gripped onto me as I thrust into her, the rock beneath us crying in protest to our blows.

The intensity of the passion between us, the rhythm of the water, and way our bodies were made for each other had me ready to explode, but then Bella focused her energy into lifting her shield and I felt her orgasm hit, ripping through the both of us until I was growling out my own.

I felt Bella's legs move under me and then we slid into the water, still wrapped around each other.

"That was amazing," I murmured against her neck

"That's you. You make me feel that way every time we're together," she whispered back.

As we left the waterfall, walking to the house at a leisurely pace, I noticed Bella's eyes. I always saw them, saw the beauty they held, but tonight I noticed the darkening of her irises. The topaz they had been at our wedding was now a dark gold, the black creeping in from the edges. I knew we'd need to hunt, but I didn't want to leave the island. Her allergy made it trickier, but not impossible. I would just have to be crafty.

"What's going on in there?" Bella asked, tapping my temple.

"Plotting."

"Nothing too crazy tonight, I just want to relax."

I smiled at her quiet nature. "That sounds perfect."

We spent the night sitting in the living room and watching some of the movies from our extensive collection. Just as the sun began to rise, Bella sighed, her head resting on my shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think my parents will ever stop looking for me? I know my father's always going to blame himself and my mom will wonder what if I'd stayed with her in Phoenix."

A thought popped into my head and before I could react, my phone buzzed with a text from Alice.

_Do it._

Clearing away the message, I handed her the phone. "Call him. Tell him that you'd witnessed a crime back in Phoenix and that you couldn't tell anyone because the Feds were involved. You moved with him because you wanted to spend time with him before going into Witness Protection, but something happened and they needed you to go in earlier than they'd originally planned." I squeezed her closer as I went on, "Keep it vague and tell them that you had been watching the news and needed them to know you were okay. He'll have to keep the search going for a while to keep up appearances, but you wanted to give them a proper good-bye. That way he's knows you're happy and safe and they can start to move on knowing you're okay."

Before I could finish the last sentence, Bella spun around and threw her arms around my neck as she peppered kisses along my face. "Thank you! You're sure it's okay though?"

"He's in law enforcement, so he'll respect the cloak and dagger way it was handled, especially in concern for your safety. Alice sees it working in our favor."

With her worries gone, she dials what I assume to be her father's house, but then she hands me the phone. "Pretend to be the agent assigned to me and get him to go into the interview room to take the call."

Nodding, I hear the phone click and a gruff voice answer, "Forks PD, this is Chief Swan."

"Chief Swan, this is Agent Masen with the FBI, I need you to go somewhere private so we can talk. The information I have is classified and I can't risk someone overhearing."

"One moment, I'll move into the interrogation room, and before you say it, I know to turn off the camera and microphones." The no nonsense way he spoke almost made me laugh; Charlie Swan was an interesting man. He picked up the phone and then I heard some rustling and then a door slam, all no doubt done for my benefit before he spoke. "Okay, Agent Masen, what's this classified information you have for me?"

I handed the phone to Bella as she leaned into me and began to speak. "Dad, it's me."

"Bells," his disbelief is unmistakable, "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm safe Dad, but back when I was in Phoenix, I saw something and had to be put into protective custody. It was the middle of the night and I couldn't tell anyone. I'm sorry that you had to be hurt."

"You're sure everything's okay?" He asked, his voice concerned.

"Yes, the agent assigned to me is very careful; I'm living quietly and keeping out of sight."

"Well then, you just keep safe and I'll keep up my end over here. Do you have any hope of you coming home someday?"

"It doesn't look good, Dad. I know you can't tell mom any of this until after they close the case, but just try and help her get through this. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, Bella. You're the only thing I got right." There was a slight waver in his voice as she was quick to correct him.

"No, you're a great man and a dedicated officer, I'm proud of you and I'm sorry I didn't get more time with you before I was taken by Agent Masen, but I'm in good hands."

My chest tightened at that statement, her promise that I was talking care of her. "Bye," he spoke softly.

"Bye, Dad," she said, ending the call and turning to face me once more. "Thank you. They'll finally be able to relax. Alice and I've been watching and the FBI has been talking about the lack of clues so with him backing down and getting my mom to do the same, they'll stop looking and declare it a cold case."

"I'm glad I was finally able to give you all some peace."

"You give me so much more than that, I could never say enough about what you do for me, but I plan on showing you my gratitude." Her lips were on mine as I heard the tearing of fabric between us.

The morning broke with us basking in the glow of our epic night of lovemaking. I sat back, my plan now firmly in place as I took her hand.

"Come with me, there's something we need to take care of."

Bella followed me, not even questioning the lack of clothing as we made our way to the water. It wasn't until I started walking into the water that she raised an eyebrow at me.

"We need to hunt, but there aren't many carnivores on the island. There are, however, sharks once you swim out a bit. Most of the other fish will scatter, but the sharks won't see us as a threat, so we can sneak up and feed."

"We're going to hunt sharks?" Her tone was a mix of disbelief and excitement as she ran towards the water and dove.

Her swimming was still a little slower than mine, but I was faster than most vampires anyway, so I kept pace with her. Once we got out a ways we found the first shark quickly. Bella swam with as little movement as she could and soon she'd caught the shark and sank her teeth into it. I watched in awe as she held on, the beast thrashing around until it was drained, sinking to the ocean floor.

She repeated the attack twice more before I went for one myself, knowing I could catch something back on the island.

We walked out of the water and my mind was already turning with how I'd manage to execute the plan. I would need to get her out of the house, but I wasn't sure what to tell her. Finally, I decided to simply be blunt.

"Bella, I want to try something a little different this afternoon. Could you give me ten minutes to set up and then go back to the house? Everything will be explained when you get there."

"You know I hate surprises." Her lips pulled together into an adorable pout, so I kissed her lips before responding.

"I promise it will be worth it," I winked and she laughed, nodding as she sat down on the beach, leaving me to get ready.

I ran to the house and showered quickly, changing into green shorts and a t-shirt before pulling out her albino deerskin wedding dress and laying it out on the bed with a note of instruction.

_Bella,_

_Slip into this and go explore the jungle. I'm still thirsty and need a more tempting prey. I'll be on the hunt for you._

_Edward_

Once that was done, I took off, knowing she'd arrive soon and needing to put some distance between us. I counted to 500 in my mind and then gave up, running into the jungle to see where she was hiding. This game of hide and seek was a great idea and with her dress it made her that much more the part of my helpless prey.

I opened up my senses and caught a hint of her scent to the west so I took off, determined to find her. As the aroma became more concentrated, I saw the flash of her running through the trees and realized I would have to be very inept to prolong this foreplay longer than a few minutes. Deciding I'd rather catch her than pretend to have her elude me, I bound after her, chasing her into the open of the beach. My arms wrap around her and she crumples in my arms. I turn her over, intent on biting her when I notice her pained expression and realize she wasn't acting.

"Bella?"

"Oh, God!" She cries. Her pain is ripping through me, but I don't know what's causing it.

"What is it, did I injure you?"

"No, it's them." From her terrified expression I have no doubt who them is. "They're coming and this time they aren't going to take no for an answer."

E/N: Don't kill me! *Runs to hide behind Mizzdee's rock*


	9. United Vampire Nation

**It has taken me a long time to complete this story and get it to a place where I'm content. No long speeches, I'm posting the last regular chapter immediately following this with an epilogue to follow at some point, but it may not be right away. More on that in the closing note of chapter 10…enjoy.**

Chapter 9 – United Vampire Nation

**EPOV**

It was killing me to watch Bella clutch at her chest with a pain that rivaled her transformation as I ran with her back to the house. I laid her on our bed and packed at a manic pace. The bags were on the boat and I was back to her side at an instant.

"Edward … I'm scared." She labored an unnecessary breath as I pulled her closer.

"We'll know what we're dealing with soon. By the time we get to Rio the family will be there. I promise you, I will do everything in my ability to keep you safe."

Bella nodded and I lifted her, running to the boat and starting the engine. I sat her on the bench along the back of the boat and pulled away from our paradise. For once, the hours dragged by as I drove the boat to Rio. Her whimpers were knives into my dead and dormant heart.

The dock finally came into view and as it did, I saw my family waiting for us.

"What happened?" I growled at Alice, who rushed to me as Emmett and Rosalie grabbed our bags. Bella was still pressed to my chest as we moved to the car.

"I'm not sure, Aro didn't make a decision," Alice answered as we slid into the large rental SUV on our way back to the airport.

"You were only watching for Aro? Caius or Marcus could be doing this because of your power and the assumption that Aro would be the one to make the call. Or they could have set this up before we ever got to Italy last time," I bellowed at her, she didn't normally make these types of errors.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I thought that he would be the one to order anything; he's the collector, not them. I was watching Demetri, Felix, Alec and Jane as well because they're the ones that they trust with the more important things. But it wasn't them; they sent someone completely off the grid."

I sighed, knowing it wasn't her fault. "I'm sorry too, I just can't stand to see her this bad, it's like she's so overwhelmed by the consequences that she's being torn in two. What have you seen?"

"They left this at your hotel." Carlisle handed me a monogramed card.

_Loyalty is noble, but it shouldn't be what stands between you and destiny.  
We wished that you would come of your own will, but maybe a little  
persuasion is needed. We can discuss it in your beloved Forks, Washington._

_ Aro_

"What have you seen beyond that?" I asked, the reason for Bella's severe reaction now evident.

"I can see us rounding up people to return to Forks with us, but once we arrive it gets hazy. The only thing I know is that they're leaving Italy in three weeks. We don't have much time."

"Time for what?" Emmett asked.

"We're splitting up. Carlisle and Jasper are going to Europe to get our friends to come back, and then we're going to have to get some of the nomads to join us, as many as possible. This is going to be a battle, and we need numbers."

"We should leave from here. Did you speak to Zafrina and the others?"

"Yes. I got them clothes and they're flying with us. We'll have to organize some field trips for hunting, but I think we can make it work without incident. There are enough people out there that have grown tired of the Volturi's reign. We have to count on those numbers."

"We will have to speak to the Quileute's as well. Maybe Jasper and I should come home and then we can fly out once they have been appeased." Carlisle shifted, he knew as well as I did that we'd have a problem as soon as they saw Bella.

The car pulled into the airport and we walked towards the security checkpoint for private flights. It was much quicker and to her credit, Bella acted as though nothing was wrong while there were others around. The Amazonian clan was waiting for us on the tarmac, so we all boarded the plane together to begin the trip home.

Time passed with little meaning as I held Bella on my lap. Her silence worried me, but Alice kept shaking her head, Bella hadn't made a decision.

Our touchdown in Seattle didn't ease anyone's mood, but Carlisle still made the necessary call as soon as we were in the two cars that Alice had rented for us to drive back to the Forks house in.

"Billy, this is Carlisle Cullen. I know that you are aware of us, and I need you to meet my family at the treaty line."

We listened to the clipped tone of the Chief, before Carlisle spoke a final warning.

"Many things have happened to cause a need for this meeting. It is for the safety of your people, as well as the citizens of Forks that we discuss what is about to happen. We will meet you there at one in the morning."

The phone disconnected before Carlisle could say a goodbye, which only served to show just how dangerous this situation was. We had enemies at every side and one wrong move could mean the end, in so many ways.

Bella turned to me and asked the question I'd been waiting for since the mention of the Quileutes. "Why is Billy involved in this?"

"Bella, we aren't the only mythical creatures out there. The Quileutes are shape shifters; the form they assume is that of a wolf."

"Werewolves? You're kidding, right?" Bella's expression was unfathomable.

"Not technically, but in a way, yes. We don't know what causes it, but they need to be warned about the influx of vampires that are going to be in the area soon." I watched her as she thought about what I'd just told her.

"Are their wolves on the Rez now?"

"We don't know? When we made the treaty with them, there were three of them. But that doesn't mean that there will be any still living there. That is something we will have to find out when we meet with them," I told her.

We talked in more detail about the treaty, and the fact that my transformation of her was a violation of it, which was why we had moved so quickly. Soon we were nearing the house we hadn't been in since Bella's change, her knowledge of the situation seemingly keeping her calm.

The time between our arrival at the house and our meeting was spent planning. Carlisle sat with Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie as they mapped out where to go and who to seek out. Alice joined them after specific choices revealed who they might meet and how their approach would be received. I tried to drown out the planning, not wanting to know what we were facing while Bella was still so shaken.

"Love, will you talk to me?" I tried after Esme left to show the Amazon clan the grounds.

"I caused this, Edward. They're here for me." Bella's voice was a whisper, but the pain was clear.

"They want Alice, and I as well. They know we will never give up the resistance, which is why they have changed tactics." I tried to persuade her, but she shook her head.

"But it is my fault they are returning here. My family has been searching for me since I disappeared, and even though my father is convincing my mother that it is time to calm the search…they're coming to Forks because they knew it would draw us out of hiding." Bella stood, moving to the wall of glass that overlooked the back of our property.

"Yes, your tie to Forks is strongest, and they will use your parents against us if they are looking to make a 'case' against us. Aro is moving too quickly, he is eager and that will be a weakness. You must trust that we know what we are doing," I told her as my arms wrapped around her waist.

"It's time," Carlisle spoke, pulling us from our bubble as we all moved into the woods.

The Amazonians stayed behind, because we would have enough problems when they saw Bella, as we moved in a tight group to the treaty line. It was a short run, and when we arrived, I was surprised to see two older gentlemen there, one of whom was in a wheelchair.

Slowly, the trees behind them began to tremble and eight wolves emerged from the tree line to flank the men. Carlisle raised his hands in mock surrender as he moved forward.

"Thank you for coming to meet with us, there is a grave matter that we need to discuss with you," Carlisle began, but before he could continue the man in the wheelchair spoke.

"You once made a treaty with Ephraim Black, but your behavior of late has gone against it, why should we discuss anything with you." The man spoke with authority and an intimate knowledge of the treaty, so I was not surprised when the man behind him chastised Billy for even speaking with us. This was the Chief of the Quileute Tribe.

"Billy," Bella spoke from behind me, stepping out into the view of the wolves for the first time. There was a deep rumble from the wolves as they recognized her. I instinctually reached out for her but she turned and shook her head. "Will you listen to us, for Charlie?"

Billy bristled, his mind enraged that we were the source of his best friend's agony and the fact that we were presenting proof of the worst offense we could have made. "What did they do to you?"

"Billy, I know you aren't going to understand, but the Cullen's saved me, in every way a person could be. The months I've been gone they have been helping me adjust to my new life. I need you to forgive me for putting them in the position to have to go back on their word."

As Bella spoke, I was floored that she was taking responsibility for it, but I could see in Alice's mind that this was the only way they would work with us.

"The phone call your father received…?" The man I now knew was Harry Clearwater, asked her.

"I can't come back to Forks, too many people would notice the differences, and I'm still young to this life, it is best for them to know I'm safe, then to worry needlessly. We've come back for a very specific reason, and you were the first contact we made out of courtesy." Bella stopped and looked to Carlisle, silently asking him to continue.

"We have rules, as do you, about our existence. It seems that the leaders of our kind have a particular interest in Bella and they would wish to force her into their way of life if she would not be willing go." Carlisle's thoughts were clear; he was using their attachment to Bella to gain their trust. "They are coming here, hoping to draw us out and their intent is to kill us so they can force her to join them."

"Why Bella?" Billy asked.

"She is quite talented for a vampire and they collect vampires with gifts. But they are not like us; they feed on humans and would likely hunt in town, as well as the surrounding areas while they are here." Carlisle let that sink in before he continued. "Also, one of them has an extreme hatred towards the Children of the Moon, or traditional werewolves, and if they were to come across any of you, they would not stop until your tribe was wiped out, no matter how risky."

"What do you need from us?" Billy asked.

"All we ask is that you give us a wide berth. This will likely come to a fight, and we will need numbers. Some of our family will be leaving to recruit friendly vampires to fight beside us. The only thing we ask is that you keep an eye on Bella's parents, as they will likely go looking for them when they enter town." Carlisle waited but instead of a response, a large black wolf ran into the trees and emerged a moment later.

"My name is Sam, and I am the pack leader." He spoke before looking along our line. "First, I ask that whichever one of you is using some _gift_ of yours, to stop it. We aren't dumb enough to not notice that we're calm in a situation that would normally have us charging over the line."

"My apologies," Jasper drawled, "I was only concerned for Bella and your reaction to what she was saying."

"We were made to destroy vampires, and the random ones that have been in the woods recently have given us plenty of training-"

"There have been other vampires?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, they were all dressed in cloaks, some were more skilled than others," Sam informed us. "We will invite Bella's parents to the Reservation on the day of the fight, leaving a few wolves to protect them, but the rest of us will be defending Forks with you. When this is over, these are our lands to keep safe."

Carlisle looked to Jasper, who nodded, "If that is your choice, very well. They will be here in a little more than three weeks, unless they move ahead of what they are planning. We will be sending vampires back to aid us, but some will be true vampires, but they will not hunt within the state. I will promise you that."

"Let's hope so." Sam almost snarled. "We will be in touch, let us know when we should expect any more of your kind and if these others decide to come sooner."

"We will, thank you for your understanding, Sam." Carlisle spoke as the wolves vanished and the sound of a truck starting signaled the departure of the humans.

As soon as we were alone again, I turned to Carlisle. "How could you throw her to the wolves like that?"

I ignored Emmett's muffled laughter as Carlisle's mind showed his confusion. "Edward, she was perfectly safe. She never got close enough to me, let alone them. Besides, you saw their reaction to her."

"It was the only way for it not to have ended in a fight," Alice interjected, but I was already on her.

"So that makes it right? You noticed it and you kept it from me. How could you?" I demanded, but it was Bella's hand on my back that caught my attention.

"Edward, it is done, and I'm safe. Can we please just go back to the house and enjoy our time together." There was an eerie finality to her statement, but the look of sadness on her face was what stopped me.

"Who's the first to leave?" I asked instead, pulling Bella into my side.

"Rosalie and Emmett are leaving now," Alice told me, "Carlisle and Jasper are on the first flight in the morning. Tanya should be by tomorrow afternoon."

"You've spoken to her?" Bella asked, surprised that she had contacted her.

"She'll return my call a few minutes after we get back to the house. We should get going." Alice took off and we followed.

The moment we walked in the door, Alice's phone rang and she answered it, finding out that the rest of the coven would do a sweep of Canada before meeting us in a week's time. As Alice had said, Tanya was coming straight here to help with the additional vampires we'd be welcoming and to check on Bella. The connection between them was something I wouldn't have expected at first, but at a moment like this, I was so grateful for it.

Just as I tried to figure out how I could get some alone time with my wife, Alice coughed and then walked up the stairs, the answer to my question clear in her mind.

_Abandon hunting cabin, above the cloud bank. Head in the opposite direction of your meadow and you'll find it pretty quickly._

Nodding to myself, I took Bella's hand. "Grab your bag; we have somewhere we have to be."

Emmett and Rosalie walked out with us after Bella hugged Carlisle and Jasper, wishing them both safe trips. They took off through the woods; backpacks were the only things they brought with them.

With Bella's hand firmly in mine, we took off in the direction Alice indicated. The gravity of this was hitting hard and the one thing I needed was Bella. We ran together through the woods until the turn when I would normally start to head towards the meadow. Heading in the opposite direction, we made a quick path and when the weathered cabin came into view, I swept Bella into my arms and carried her into the house.

Her laughter was infectious, and something that soothed me beyond measure. It seemed like an eternity since I had heard it.

"This place will be rubble once I am finished with you," I whispered, throwing her on the bed. What had us both laughing even harder was the fact that as soon as she made contact with it, the legs gave way and it was on the floor.

"I don't think it will take us long." Bella laughed as she pulled at her blouse, the buttons flying everywhere as the fabric fell open.

The rest of our clothing were rags within a few seconds and I covered Bella's body with mine. This was not gentle, it was animalistic and from the moment I slammed into her, she knew what the night would hold.

The first round was spent on the bed, Bella's hips rising off the sad excuse for a mattress as we barreled toward completion.

Our second was something I'd seen in Emmett's mind countless times over the years when he watched porn. It was like music is for me or the Civil War for Jasper…Emmett studies porn. Bella stood facing me, her hands around my neck as I lifted her onto my manhood. But instead of her wrapping her legs around my waist, I linked my arms under her knees and lifted her off of me. I slid her up and down me while her nails dug into my neck and shoulders.

We continued through the night, a veritable how to demonstration on the karma sutra, until I became a little too zealous and pinned Bella against the east wall of the shack. Two thrusts and the wall gave out, a creaking keen followed as the remainder of the house fell on top of us.

As Bella and I dusted off and found our bags, I was surprised to see the sun shining, setting her skin to sparkle. I was dazzled by the sight of her, but the shake of her head told me that we were done with our night of debauchery.

Fifteen minutes found us on the opposite side of the river that sat at the back of our property; I stopped her, hoping for one final moment of privacy with her. "I love you, and we will find ways to be together over the next few weeks. I don't care how many vampires are here."

"I know, but right now we have to prepare for their arrival," Bella said, a sigh escaping her as she looked at the house. "I want to work with Zafrina more on my power."

The idea of her pushing herself because she wanted to protect us was painful. I knew that I couldn't keep her out of the fight, but I needed her to focus on herself, she had a big enough target on her back as it was.

"Bella, you can't keep us all safe-" I started, but was quickly cut off.

"I know, but in the beginning I can keep us out of danger. I'm not strong enough to split my focus to project my shield and defend myself. I just want to know my talent as good as I can before we have to face them."

I couldn't or wouldn't argue with her there, she needed to know herself and I would offer any assistance I could. We were almost to the back steps when the door flew open and a blur of strawberry blonde hair flew at us, removing Bella's hand from mine.

"Oh Bella, how are you doing? I spoke to Esme while waiting for you to return and she told me about what happened. We will work to keep you safe, you have my promise." Tanya's eyes met mine over Bella's hair as she led her inside, asking questions about the wedding.

With the free moment, I sought out Zafrina and her sisters to ask about the time she spent training Bella while in the Amazon. I was amazed to find out that she had pushed herself as hard as she had. But Zafrina was proud of what she had accomplished. My main concern was that her survivalist portion of her gift would leave her too crippled by fear that her shield would prove useless to even herself. I watched her collapse from the fear that the Volturi put in her when she sensed their threat, but with them right in front of her, it would be much harder to keep her wits about her.

I had a fleeting thought, but needed to see if it was even feasible before I approached them with it, especially as it would only be possible in the beginning. As more vampires arrived, it would become more dangerous to extend the invitation.

With my mind made up, I called the number I never thought I would need to.

"Black residence," the young voice answered somewhat sleepily.

"Jacob, this is Edward Cullen. Before you hang up, I need to ask for your help, for Bella's sake." I heard the low grumble before his voice was once again loud on the other end.

"What about Bella?"

"The gift we described, the one that is so coveted by our enemies, has a quality to it that when she feels there is little chance for survival, she is overcome by panic. There's a battle between her logical and emotional sides, as she hasn't had time to hone it yet. I was hoping that you would help us with that, because we have little time to get her to the point where she can push past the emotional overload and still be capable to defend herself."

"So you want me to be bait, or something?" He sounded confused.

"No, Jacob. I will be the bait. What I need is a viable threat to my safety. We only have a few of our kind here now, so it will be the safest time for you to come near our family's lands. I'm not asking that you come alone, but what I need is for her to feel my life is at stake and you can do that."

"Let me speak to Sam and the others, if I'm coming, it will be in a few hours and there will be no more than three of us, that I can tell you."

"Thank you, Jacob. And three is fine, just as long as the others aren't visible to Bella. I look forward to hearing the pack's decision."

He hung up the phone and I went to explain my plan to Zafrina. She felt it was a solid plan, so I decided to make my way back into the house to be with Bella.

I sat with Tanya and Bella for a while, waiting for some type of news, so when my phone chimed, I pulled on Bella's hand and led her outside.

"Walk with me," I asked, and Bella agreed readily.

We exited the house and crossed the river, making it a short distance into the woods when my vision was replaced by one of the trees around us on fire. Bella froze and gripped my hand harder; I could feel the tug of her looking around wildly.

"Zafrina, this isn't funny!" Bella yelled, but there was no answer.

"Sweetheart, stay calm," I urged, but she was quick to respond.

"Calm, this isn't the time for games. We have threats coming from every angle and to leave us out here blind when we're vulnerable-"

"Shh, I hear Jake," I whispered to her, pulling my hand from hers.

"I can smell them, they're in front of us," she whispered back.

"Jake, please, I need you to calm down. We can talk about this like two adults."

I heard the growl next; Jake was playing his part well.

"Jake, please. We're blind here. Whatever you came to talk about, or fight about, we can't do it now," Bella pleaded as another growl came from closer this time, and the edges of the image began to shake.

"Bella, where are you? Bella!" I screamed as my vision came back just in time for me to see Jake sitting in his human form about ten feet from us, his brothers behind him in the woods. A quick turn behind revealed that Zafrina was keeping the others at bay having heard the commotion.

"What's going on here?" Bella fumed, looking between Jake and I.

"Your leech said that he needed a threat against him for your power thing to work. He's trying to prep you for the battle." Jake was tactless in his explanation, but luckily it was Zafrina that stepped in next.

"You need to harness the fear that will be instilled in you. Any emotion like that; anger, anxiety, you must use them to throw your shield up. You allowed yourself to be blind when the emotions were in control, but when you pushed past it; you were strong enough to restore Edward's vision. That is what we need to work on."

Bella sighed, agreeing to training as a way to pass the time before the Volturi were on our doorstep. It was probably their hope that the time would cause us to stew in our trepidation over our chances, but it was the opposite, each day gave us a little more hope.

**BPOV**

To say I was upset over Edward's tactics when he tried to get me to train more intensely was an understatement, but he did have a point, so I forgave him. The truth was that as more unfamiliar vampires began to close in on Forks, it was easier to feel the anxiety and fear that I needed to push myself farther.

I was surprised at how I was able to expand my shield, but the thing that still needed honing was the survival instinct. I was able to keep the fear from crippling me, like it had on Isle Esme, but to keep myself calm and not lean towards the best possibility for survival was where I was lacking. I needed to discover a way to keep my free will in that moment so I didn't agree to whatever the Volturi wanted, because that could prove disastrous.

The first of the reinforcements to arrive weren't a surprise, but they were most welcome. Liam, Siobhan, and Maggie brought news of Carlisle and Jasper's journey further East, hoping to call on some of Carlisle's old friends to come stand beside us. A degree of the tension that was there when we first interacted with them in Ireland was gone now and Maggie even came hunting with us and giggled while I raced Edward for a mountain lion.

Within two days, a tall man that reminded me a little of Jasper with his blonde hair and Southern accent, and a tiny woman with hair a shade lighter than her mate's arrived, letting us know that Emmett and Rosalie were in Oklahoma when they met up with the pair.

Peter and Charlotte, I found out, were old friends of Jasper's from his time fighting in the vampire civil war. They were stories I had heard from Jasper many times, as we spoke about my nature and how my allergy made me almost as likely as Jasper to fall back on his ways. He always told me that I made him stronger, because we were leaning on each other, and Peter seemed to agree with that idea. He had been the one to show Jasper a different life, and he knew how his friend needed someone to lean on.

The stories about Jasper's early days gave me hope, as we had three seasoned fighters with us, but it also gave me plenty of ammo to use the next time I teased Jasper, helping to alleviate some of the tension that continued to grow with each passing hour.

Edward felt hopeful as I continued to train, using Peter to work on my fighting skills, with some of the others joining in, though he always hated when I trained physically, fearing an over-zealous sparring partner.

The Denalis were the next to arrive, bringing the number of vegetarian vampires back into the majority, but we were lucky that the traditional vampires didn't mind the trek to Canada. It helped that the Denalis had found Mary, a vampire that had spent most of her life roaming Canada, so she knew areas where they could hunt quickly and without drawing attention to themselves.

The numbers of vampires on our property was eighteen when we were all together, Esme and Alice acting as hostess' while Edward kept in contact with the werewolves, making sure they knew our numbers and when someone would be moving beyond the boundaries.

Our second week brought with it Garrett, a hilarious vampire from the Pennsylvania area. He was changed in the shadow of the Revolutionary War, so the desire to end oppression had him headed west the moment Rosalie and Emmett explained the situation. Garrett was like the older cousin I never had, someone I could get in trouble with, but not as close as Emmett or Jasper, making me wish that they would all return soon so I would know they were safe.

A few days later, four olive skinned vampires knocked on our doors. Amun, the head of the coven was wary of everything and everyone around him, though he seemed more concerned for Benjamin, the young man that was with him than his mate. Kebi was similar in looks to Amun, the dark hair and an eye that was prominent in the Egyptian people was present in all four of them.

Benjamin was quick to train with us, using his gift of telekinesis and an ability to influence the elements to push me in even more ways. Edward let me hold my own now that I was getting better at pushing away the dread and he seemed to enjoy the childlike way I saw the vampires that were walking into our lives.

Tia, Benjamin's mate, spent time with Esme and Alice during the morning and by mid-afternoon Tanya and I joined them, giving the men a chance to talk.

Randall, a nomad that Rose and Emmett had met outside New York came the day after the Egyptians, letting us know that they were going to sweep the northern half of the country on their way home.

That evening, I noticed that we were short quite a few vampires and was surprised to hear that Garrett had gone to hunt with the Denalis. When they returned the next day, Tanya was teasing Kate about Garrett, and how he had to be daring if he was taking her on. It was sweet watching one of the Denalis find happiness; I just hoped that Irina and Tanya would find it in time as well.

Finally, as the second week came to an end, Rose and Emmett returned, but it wasn't without a story.

"He was an idiot, completely full of himself," Rose laughed, "I wouldn't plan on seeing him in time for the fight."

"It was that bad," Tanya asked.

"He's a creeper, but proclaims that he is the best tracker in the world. So Emmett let it slip that the Volturi have a tracker, and Aro only collects the best of everything, he and his coven agreed to come on that alone, though one of his members didn't seem overly excited to risk his life for James' ego."

"We'll have to see what happens when they get here," Edward told her, not seeming too upset that this particular coven was delayed.

Almost two days after Rosalie and Emmett returned, we were greeted by James' coven. Consisting of himself, his mate Victoria, and Laurent, they travelled the country looking for a good time. James seemed to be quite skilled as a tracker, noticing little things about everyone around us, while Victoria had a skill that was slightly like mine. Where I looked for ways to survive, Victoria always knew exactly how to escape a situation, evasion was her gift.

Laurent fell in with Garrett, something that didn't seem to bother James at all, and soon we noticed the looks between him and Irina. Love was definitely in the air in Forks, even if the bottom was about to fall out for us.

Another morning of training had us further into the woods than we normally went, simply to keep away from the nearly thirty vampires on the property. I had just finished the round with Zafrina when I heard James' laugh come from behind me.

"That was a fun little nature film you had going there. And I didn't even have to open my eyes to see it."

"Zafrina's ability to make you see what she wants is remarkable, and it is also the closest to what one of the members of the Volturi can do, so it is helpful for training," I told him, hoping it would be enough to get him to beg off.

"I might have to come out to watch you train more often, its fun watching you get all riled up," James purred.

"We both have mates," I pointed out.

"Victoria wouldn't mind," he countered.

"Edward and I would, we're not into sharing," I informed him firmly.

"Too bad," he said, walking up behind me, "because you look good enough to eat."

His breath was gone from my ear as soon as it had been there, as I turned to see Edward pinning him to the ground, a path in the dirt showing the force with which he hit him.

"Stay away from her," Edward growled.

"Relax," James surrendered, "it is way too much fun to play with you two. Always so serious," James laughed as he ran off into the woods.

"I hate some of the people we are forced to rely on because of all this," Edward grumbled, walking back down the hill.

"Edward," I called after him. "Are you annoyed at me?"

He spun around and clasped his arms around my waist in a second. "No, I'm just frustrated … sexually."

My heart ached a little for my Edward in that moment as I reached up to cup his cheek. "Me too, baby. And I promise that before the Volturi arrive we will sneak off to take care of that little issue."

"Little?" he asked, a smile in his tone. "My wife, if you remember it as _little_ then I think it has been far too long since we've had time alone."

And just like that, we were back, happy and ready to face the next week side by side.

We returned to the house to a commotion as Jasper and Carlisle arrived home, bringing with them Alistair. Esme and Alice rushed over, embracing their mates as the rest of us soon joined in on the reunion. With our numbers now totaled at thirty two, we were as ready as we were ever going to be. Eleazar and Carlisle spoke for a moment before addressing the group.

"Thank you all for coming to aid my family," Carlisle greeted the eclectic group. "My friend, Eleazar lived with the Volturi at one time, so he has a unique perspective on their members. Tomorrow he will be speaking with everyone so that we know who it is we will be dealing with, so if you could all meet us here behind the house just after sunrise, it would be appreciated."

Carlisle looked to Edward and I, motioning us forward. "Have there been any troubles with the wolves since we left?"

"No, they even helped with training Bella at how to best use her power before the area became overpopulated. We've spoken a few times to let them know about movement, and update them on our numbers, but nothing else."

"Good, I'm glad they've been that receptive. It is possible that two more may join us, but Jasper and I aren't entirely sure they will come, they have a hatred for the Volturi that is unmatched."

"The Romanians? You really think that they will help us?" Edward asked.

"They will battle to the death, and we need that kind of ferocity if it comes to a fight," Carlisle admitted sadly. "Eleazar and I will be going to the reservation tonight to give them the same information that we will be sharing here tomorrow. It is too much to ask them to trust this many vampires at any time other than the battle. We should be home in a few hours."

Edward and I nodded before we found Alice and Jasper where they sat beside Peter and Charlotte.

"So, Jasper, I've heard some very interesting things while you were away," I said, barely holding in my laughter.

*La1B*

"The Volturi Coven is very different in their structure," Eleazar started just as the sunlight fought against the fog beyond our woods. "They have three central members and two wives. Aro is the leader of the coven; he has shoulder length black hair and will be the most vibrant of the group. His mate, Sulpicia will be the most guarded, and she will likely be close to Athenodora. She is the mate of Caius, the most vicious of the Volturi leaders; he has blonde hair and will be the most concerned by the appearance of the shape shifters."

"Let me remind you, again," Jasper warned. "The wolves are our allies in this fight and should be left unharmed. Any attack on them will be seen as an act of treachery and will be treated as such."

When the group nodded their understanding, Eleazar continued. "Marcus is the last member of the coven, he is dark haired and has a countenance that appears bored, but he carries a great sadness. When his remaining coven members are threatened he will be unpredictable. These members will be in black robes, which is another way for you to distinguish them.

"From there you will see the various members of the guard, they are some of the most skilled vampires in the world, present company excluded, of course," Eleazar added this to appease egos before giving the details on the members he knew about. "The five most dangerous of their members are the twins, Alec and Jane, Felix, Demetri, and Chelsea, easily distinguished by their dark grey cloaks.

"Alec has the ability to cut off all your senses, leaving you defenseless against an attack. It is a visible power, appearing as a mist that will creep towards us, so if we are able to deflect it, they will know it. His sister Jane is able to inflict crippling pain. She can only attack a single person and must keep her vision fixed on the person as it takes a great bit of concentration. She will likely focus in on Bella or another Cullen. They must be taken out quickly to improve our odds. Felix isn't blessed with a power, but he is ruthless and impossibly strong, able to tear through groups easily, so make sure he doesn't get his hands on you. Demetri is a tracker, who senses your essence and from the moment he does, is able to track you at any time. Not a useful skill in battle, but if we were to lose, he will hunt you to the very edge of the earth. Chelsea is the closest to Aro, she can sense the bonds between members of a group and either strengthen or break the bonds. It won't work for mates, but if they decide to keep you, she will make it nearly impossible to refuse.

"The other known members of the guard are Afton, who is mated to Chelsea. He has a shield power similar to Bella's, but where she protects her mind from an attack, he can make himself invisible. Heidi has no power, but is used as bait to lure their victims to them. Santiago is another incredibly strong vampire, and Corin has the ability to make you feel content with your circumstances, his power is used to help keep the peace among the guard. Finally, Renata is the coven's bodyguard. She can shield a person from physical attacks, sending you in a different direction and confusing you in the process. There will likely be other members of the guard, but they will be newer additions so we will have to react on the field. We have little less than a week before this fight, so you may get in some sparring or occupy yourselves however you choose to without breaking the agreement to hunt locally. We will organize a few hunting trips the day before we go to the clearing so we will be ready for the fight. Please respect the Cullen's hospitality until then."

Eleazar ended his lesson and the group began to disperse, leaving us alone to occupy ourselves how we wished to.

The next few days crawled and flew by at the same time. We split our time between training and enjoying the company of our newfound friends. They were such an eclectic group, it was sad to think that not all of them would make it out of the fight we were about to enter.

Alice's visions were blurry because of the wolves, but when she saw the Volturi leave Italy, we knew our time was coming. The first group of vampires went to hunt in Northern California, while a second group went to Oregon. The last of the traditional vampires went to Canada leaving the rest of us, including Garrett and Laurent to wait and go in two smaller groups.

When Edward, Jasper, Alice, Tanya and I went off, we once again made a game of it, laughing as we did. The deer were okay, for the rest, but they followed as I went in search of a grizzly. As the group began to head back, Edward claimed my hand and no one said anything as we lingered in the dense forest.

It was in the mossy green darkness that Edward and I laid claim to each other through the night and into the following morning. We returned home, laughing to see the duffle that Alice had left for us to change into after we cleaned up in the river.

We walked up to the house and found our family, sitting around with them until I noticed two vampires that I hadn't noticed before. They were both no taller than I was; the first had brown hair that was darker than mine was, while the second had ashy blond hair.

"They're Stefan and Vladimir, the Romanians," Edward informed me. "They got here just in time, we move to the clearing tonight."

I looked at him, surprised that our time was already drawing to a close.

"I love you," I whispered.

"Always," he repeated.


	10. The Battle of Forks

**Here's the battle you've been waiting for. SM owns, I'm just playing with her barbies.**

Chapter 10 – The Battle of Forks

**BPOV**

We knew the clearing was our best shot, Alice had seen the fight in a few different locations, but the distractions and unsure surroundings worked against us. Our best chance was out in the open. As a group, we moved there in the late evening, getting to work.

To head them off, and make sure the battle happened where we needed it to, we knew we'd have to spend the night there. Benjamin helped create burrows with some of the men that were more accepting of the werewolves, so they had cover for when the Volturi walked past them. It would be too risky having them run through the woods behind them after they'd entered the clearing, because most animals would not approach a group of sixty vampires.

Once we were all on the other side of the clearing, we were able to sense their presence as they took their positions and began to wait out the Volturi.

The time was nearing, night turning to dawn. Alice was stone still as the visions hit her like waves crashing along the beach. Liam and Maggie were sticking close to her in case one of the members of the Volturi Guard noticed her non-responsiveness.

"They're here," she whispered to us, Emmett's mutter about déjà vu not bringing us any comfort as they broke through the tree line.

Aro was in front, surrounded closely by Marcus and Caius. An imposing woman that I recognized as Renata from our visit to Volterra was close behind him, her eyes scanning us. The members of the guard that we knew by name were spread out behind them, with another seventeen we did not know about. Carlisle must have noticed the wives because Edward whispered to me who they were, but the others were a mystery.

They moved as a unit, their heads facing forward as their capes in varying shades of gray swept against the ground, the only movement noticeable to us.

Eleazar was searching for a power we weren't aware of, but just as he discovered the secret about the only other guard member wearing the dark gray that was worn by the twins I felt the dread hit like a lead ball in my gut and a panicked commotion broke out behind me.

"Bella, we are so happy to see you again. I did not know if you would receive our note as it was sent through normal channels. Or if the Cullen's would pass it along to you."

"My family wouldn't lie to me, Aro," I hissed.

"No need for hostility, my child. But they are keeping so many things from you." Aro took a step forward, leaving him closer to me than Edward was, but I couldn't back away and show any feelings of weakness. "They're withholding a better way of life for you, one where you're not left to worry about what you hunt. Your allergy isn't a weakness, it's a sign that you're feeding on inferior prey."

"I'm not so used to this life that I can't remember what it is like to be human, I can't kill them when there is another way."

I glanced behind me to see everyone standing around, like they did the day Zafrina first saw us in the Amazon, it was then that I registered the mist, and the fact that my shield was not stretched back to keep them safe. The strain I felt was the building dread. This would not end well if I didn't find a way to turn the tide in our favor again. My anger at Aro and his clan grew, the fact that he thought he could strong arm me into being loyal to him was ridiculous. It was then that I noticed the multiple pairs of eyes that were narrowed at me.

"It's not working, is it? I've been weakened, but I'm still not bending to your will. This must be a new experience with all your little pets so eager to please their master." My eyes narrowed at Jane just as I heard the scream from behind me. I didn't need to turn to see that she was using her power on Edward. This was about to end. And that bitch would die by my own hands.

"They don't all have to die," Caius spoke. "But if you push the issue, we will save Edward for last, that way you can see the terror in each other's eyes as he is torn apart."

That was it; I huffed a final, unnecessary breath and whispered, "Fine."

I felt the pressure from the myriad of attacks lessen and used the moment to push my shield back, until it protected Edward. He lay still on the ground after Jane's attack, but in a split second, he brought about the change we so desperately needed.

"She's only going to turn out like Marcus, a shell of her former self," Edward spoke, the shock of the Guard clear as he was no longer stricken by Alec's gift. "That's what happens when you kill someone's mate. Did you learn nothing from murdering your sister?"

Marcus' eyes were wide as he looked to Aro, who did nothing to hide the fact that he did what Edward said he had. A blank expression overtook his face again for the briefest of moments before his hands were on Aro's head, tearing it from his body.

The disbelief within the Volturi's numbers was all we needed for our side to tip the scale. Aro's head flew in our direction, but before Marcus could inflict any more damage, Renata had him in pieces, the awful screeching sound echoing around the clearing, just as the roar of the wolves rang out.

Jake and the young gray and white wolf each charged into the clearing from opposite sides, taking out the nearest targets. As the younger wolf took out the vampire that Alice had warned us about, the one as important to Aro as the twins, Jake tore into Alec sending the Guard into a panic.

The rest of the pack came out, Jared and the tan wolf making quick work of the wives while the rest took out some of the Volturi's numbers, forcing them forward.

Caius was the only one to turn back, baffled by the wolves and running to face them as he had centuries before.

The fighting began, and everything became a blur. Strikes were opportunities, if you were able to make contact then great, but lingering for a kill was risky, so we had to wait for the perfect moment to finish someone off.

The first of these moments came when Zafrina used her power to disorient Afton and make him lose concentration long enough to become visible again. She finished him quickly, but Chelsea noticed, running at Zafrina only to have Eleazar knock her down. Her head and arms were discarded before he moved. We knew better than to stay still, our backs never turned to them and it was clear that while the Guard was used to killing, they were not prepared for opposition.

Two more screeches ricocheted off the trees and then I saw Corin's body fall at my feet, Peter beside me. I kept trying to keep tabs on my family, but the devastation was easier to notice.

I ran forward, taking one of the Guard members down, Benjamin right there to finish him, as I kept moving.

A loud growl turned to cry as the gray and white wolf was crushed and bitten by Felix, the venom starting the process of poisoning him, which would stop his heart in the next few seconds.

As soon as Felix stepped back from the young wolf, Jasper was there to knock his head off his body. James whistled, shaking me from my grief and clearing me out of Demetri's path.

Finally, the battle between the two trackers could be settled as they squared off, taunting one another before Jane used her gift to take out Victoria. The second that her scream rang out was all that Demetri needed as both James and Victoria were turned to rubble.

With her attention occupied, I saw my chance and flew over, tackling Jane to the ground and sinking my teeth into her neck, giving her my own kiss of death before Edward's snarl brought me back to the moment.

My personal kill had left me vulnerable too long and Demetri had only been feet from me when Edward landed a foot to his side, severing his arm before using it like a bat to crack his skull in two.

The Volturi was shrinking before our eyes, but not without some causalities of our own. An earth shattering series of growls, howls, and the finite sound of vampire flesh being shredded left the final Volturi leader in pieces, two wolves by his side on the ground, one of them alive, but very broken.

My concentration had been on the injured wolf, who appeared to be Paul, when I felt the collision. Before I could fight, Heidi vanished from above me, Tanya already standing from the pieces of what used to be the Volturi's bait for luring humans to their deaths.

As I lost my focus, a very different fight took place across the clearing.

One of the guard members had surprised Esme, Rosalie stepping in before any harm could come to the woman who was as close to a mother to us all, but Santiago caught her, snapping Rose's body in two a second before Emmett got there to destroy the man that had killed his mate.

An unexpected kill behind us had Garrett standing over Vladimir, his hands up in surrender. All he said was, "I wasn't going to risk one tyrant for another."

With the fighting over, we surveyed the area, trying to make sense of the dead. Esme and Emmett cried over Rosalie while the rest of us worked, collecting what was left of our enemies and setting them on fire.

Once that was done, a second smaller fire was set. The wolves had left, taking Paul back to the reservation with Carlisle's promise that he would be there soon to tend to his injuries.

The Romanians, Vladimir and Stefan were the first to be burned, as there wasn't much love for them within the European covens, even though they stood beside us in this instance. Mary and Alistair were next, a quiet thank you said for their sacrifice.

Next, we added James and Victoria to the pyre. A couple that, while odd, had kept me out of harm's way during the battle. Benjamin and Tia burned Amun and Kebi, their faces stoic as they watched the fire grow.

The grayish purple smoke was thick when Esme and Emmett carried what was left of Rosalie to be burned. Our family huddled close, the Denali's near as we said goodbye to a sister, a daughter, and a friend.

"It should have been me," Esme whispered as she took Emmett's hand.

"No, Esme, Rosalie did this for all of us," Emmett comforted her.

Edward sighed as he took his moment to honor his sister. "Rosalie was never one to show her emotions easily, but she was fiercely protective of us all. That was how she showed her love for us." Edward said, "She defended Bella when she was just the girl I'd brought home part way through her change. She was so mad at me for taking what I did from you, but hopefully now she can finally rest."

"Go in peace, Rose, the daughter of our heart," Carlisle said as Esme turned to cry on his shoulder.

I stared at the flames, unable to say anything at the moment that I felt wouldn't make it worse. I had never been to too many funerals and I was always worried about saying the wrong thing.

Just as quickly as it had started, it ended. Those who were left of the covens that had fought for the survival of not only our family, but also the end of the Volturi's quest for power said goodbye. Knowing that times may arise when we would need to deal with those who broke our kind's rules, only without the ulterior motives that Aro and his clan had, the various clan leaders agreed that if the time came, we would meet again to protect our way of life.

Randall was the first to leave, saying a quick farewell to Carlisle before he went. Benjamin and Tia were next, needing time to adjust to the loss of Amun and the possibilities that life on their own would mean. Though I had a feeling we would see them again.

After a word with Jasper, Charlotte and Peter said their goodbyes, and Carlisle left to look after Paul.

The remaining seventeen of us went back to the Cullen home to try to process what we'd just witnessed. There wasn't much talking once we arrived, and after Carlisle returned with a good prognosis for Paul, the Irish coven left.

Emmett spent the entire night in his and Rosalie's room, but none of us knew what to say or do for him. The mated pairs among us held each other, but not in a way to draw attention for it. The need to be close was hard to resist after what we had lived through.

When morning came, the Amazonians took their leave, making us promise to visit them again. Their friendship was one I was eager to keep going; Zafrina had come to be such a dear friend through the last two months.

By noon, it was only our extended family and two wanderers who seemed to have found themselves a pair of succubi. When the Denalis left, Garrett and Laurent were by their sides and we made plans to visit them in a year, once everyone had been able to come to terms with their grief a little.

Emmett was the first to leave, promising to check in once a month so that we knew he was well as he went hunting the world's largest and most dangerous prey. He needed the sport, and we were happy to see him finding a constructive way to channel his loss. If there was one of us strong enough to live through the death of a mate and continue with our love and support to see him through, it was Emmett.

Alice and Jasper left shortly after, using the information James had given Alice during his time with us to search out her history and get to know her human life. Their first stop was Mississippi.

Carlisle took Esme to her island, hoping the sun and privacy would distract her from her pain and for her sake, I hoped it did.

That left Edward and I alone in the house in Forks, knowing we couldn't stay, but unable to take that next step. We'd been fighting since the moment we'd met, and it was over, leaving us at a loss for what was our happily ever after. We packed bags and got ourselves ready to leave, with no idea where to go.

This was the house where I'd experienced my change, where Rosalie had first fought to defend me, something she did until her death. The tearless sobs ripped through my chest as Edward held me closely as I cried for those we'd lost. The people who had died to preserve my freedom.

When the tears subsided, I felt Edward's lips on my temple.

"We don't have to leave yet, we can stay here for a little while," Edward reassured as we sat on the couch in his bedroom.

"Is there anywhere you want to go, or that we should go?" I asked, not used to being asked simply for my preference.

"Bella, there's no limit. The world is ours," Edward purred in my ear.

"I like the sound of that," I admitted, excited to explore the world with Edward by my side.

**a/n: The epilogue will be in Em POV and will follow his ability to cope with life without Rosalie. I'm interested to hear what you thought of my Volturi showdown, so for the second to the last time in this fic, leave some love.**


End file.
